Kono Yo no Kyūseishu
by badandbhuti
Summary: He knew strength was necessary for peace. He knew love was necessary for peace. So he vowed to achieve it.
1. Fire I

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Kono Yo no Kyūseishu

Book I: Fire

" _There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting." – Buddha_

* * *

The eerie darkness surrounding the forest was only illuminated by the luminescent moonlight which peaked through the foliage of the trees, depicting shadows of ancient battles between warriors passed on the forest floor.

There, in the darkness, laid awake a warrior in the making. He had always suspected his former tutor of malevolent aspirations, although he was not surprised that it had come to this.

The man in question turned about and focused his vision on a lone figure that stood underneath the shade of a relatively large tree. _I didn't even sense him!_

The man clutched a hand on the scroll attached to his back defensively. He had come so far with this mission, he had no intentions of stopping now from attaining his goals of gaining the unlimited power he was promised.

"Who are you?" The man's snide tone tore through the cloth that was quite peace of the forest. "Show yourself or die where you stand!" He said in a tone so menacing, that had it been directed to him, he would have flinched.

His opponent did no such thing.

Instead the hidden figure started moving from the shadows to a slightly illuminated area of the forest floor. The only thing visible about the man – if he could be called that – was his bright blonde hair that turned platinum under the moonlight. Other than that, he was garbed in black shinobi attire.

"I had always suspected you of malevolent intents towards me, but so do the thousands of villagers wish the same." The figure started in a somewhat young but toneless voice. "But I never thought you'd actually betray the Village, Mizuki-sensei."

"This must be my lucky day." Mizuki, the man who stood in the clearing, began to laugh. "I get to steal the scroll and kill the demon brat too." His manic laughter caused him to fail to defend himself when the boy sped across the clearing.

Instead of an outright and advantageous attack, the boy appeared right in front of him with a blank face. That face alone shook the man out of his reverie. But what truly shocked him was when those cold, so very cold, eyes bled into a crimson red, with three tomoe swirling around an inner circle.

The tomoe started to spin faster and faster until he could feel the world darkening around him until he felt his body drop to the forest floor, hearing the last words muttered by his opponent.

" _Genjutsu: Sharingan"_ The figure intoned. He then picked up the scroll, attached it safely to his back, and then tossed the man up his shoulder and made one-handed tiger seal and disappeared in a blur of speed.

* * *

Within the Village, there had been bustling shinobi activity for a few hours since the alerts had been set off.

The shinobi of the Village had assembled at the base of the Hokage Tower and had been issued commands by the Jōnin Commander. The infiltrator had had an accomplice.

The ANBU had been ordered to guard the inside of the Village, in case the true infiltrator was still within the Village walls.

The Jōnin and Chūnin had been deployed to search and apprehend the accomplice, the one who had fled with the scroll.

Throughout all this activity, the Sandaime Hokage stood at the top of his tower, one arm at his back, while the other held his smoking pipe to his mouth. Suddenly he felt a familiar chakra signature appear on the roof, right beside him.

"Naruto-kun. Did you manage to apprehend him?" Asked the Hokage glancing at the young man beside him. He noticed the body the boy was shouldering and realised immediately who it was.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I was right in suspecting Mizuki. I found him in the western forests, heading in the direction of Ta no Kuni." Said Naruto in a calm tone. "I suspect whoever he was working for is in that country."

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." He received a nod in return. "A B-rank mission before graduating, I'm most impressed in you." The Hokage concluded with a smile, a proud gleam in his eyes as he glanced at the boy beside him.

"Thank you, Jiji." Naruto had a small smile on his tanned face. "I'll see you around." He said, placing the body and the scroll on the ground, before bowing then proceeding to leap off the rooftop.

* * *

"He's much like you sometimes, Jiraiya, don't you think?" Said the Hokage glancing at an empty spot near the railing. The area rippled and a tall man appeared.

"I still don't know how you do that, sensei." He said crossing his arms on his broad chest and a smile on his face.

The man was tall, very tall, even by shinobi standards. He was fair skinned, with a wart on the left side of his nose and waist length spiky white hair, usually tied in a ponytail, akin to a wild lion's mane with two shoulder-length bangs framing his face. He also had two red lines which extended from under his eyes down to below his chin.

His attire consisted of a green short shirt kimono and matching pants, under which he wore mesh armour that is visible at his wrists and ankles. He also wore hand guards, a black belt, traditional geta and a red haori with two yellow circles on each side. He also carried a large scroll on his back, and had a tattoo on his left palm, and he wore horned hitai-ate with a kanji for oil.

"You're still a thousand years early, my boy." Said the Hokage, his eyes crinkling upwards to show the humour he was feeling. "It's been a while. Welcome back."

"Thank you sensei. But I'm not just here on a trip this time." Said Jiraiya in a serious tone. The Sandaime nodded at him to continue. "I have information on the organisation Orochimaru joined some years ago. They are called the Akatsuki and it seems they are after jinchuriki."

"Meaning they are after Naruto and others like him." Said the Hokage getting a nod in return. "What more do you have on this organisation?"

"It consists of ten members, all S-ranked." The Hokage's eyes widened at the information. "And so far, the members I know of are Deidara the Mad Bomber, from Iwagakure no Sato, Hoshigaki Kisame the Monster of Kiri, one of the former Kiri no Shinobigatana no Shichinin Shū, and Uchiha Itachi." Jiraiya concluded grimly.

The Sandaime Hokage's eyes narrowed at the names of the listed shinobi. Shinobi this strong being under the leadership of one was preposterous. This was fairly troubling. His mind was made up.

"Jiraiya." The man straightened when the Sandaime started. "I think you should-" He was interrupted before

"I understand. I'll protect and train Naruto." Jiraiya said, his face and goal set in stone. "As I should have done his whole life." He whispered the last more to himself than his Sensei.

The Sandaime having heard the last part of his former students words, he sighed.

"But you have done well protecting him from the outside, Jiraiya, never forget that." He said softly, glancing towards Jiraiya. "Besides, I am the one who failed him more."

Jiraiya just looked at the Sandaime, then looked out towards the Village. Then he chuckled a throaty but bitter laugh.

"I suppose we both have another thing in common, Sensei." He said with a small smile.

* * *

There was a gathering at the Shinobi Academy. The previous day, there had been had been the annual graduation exam and twenty seven – half of the class – had graduated.

A third of this year's graduates were heirs of the most prominent clans of Konohagakure no Sato – including the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan.

' _They are all a bunch of irritating children at this point.'_ Came Naruto's vitriolic thought. Despite his association with them as a member of this class, they did not like him. _Like_ being quite a stretch to their feelings towards him.

Naruto sighed. He pushed open the door that he had been staring at for quite a while. The moment he did, he flinched at the loud cacophony that attacked his sensitive hearing.

He started moving as fast and as quietly as he could up the stairs that led to his bench at the back row. Well, he would have had he not been stopped by one Inuzuka Kiba.

"What are you doing here dobe? This place isn't for losers like you." Said the wild looking boy. "And don't think that with your change of attire you've suddenly become a better shinobi than me." He said snidely with a ferocious smirk spreading on his marked face.

Looking down at at the commotion, the other students noticed what Kiba had pointed out. Gone was Naruto's burnt orange tracksuit. Now, his entirely black outfit made him unrecognisable to his peers. He wore a black zipped-up jacket with two grey stripes around the biceps and wrists. He also wore black pants, with one grey stripe on each side, that reached below his shins and black shinobi sandals.

The blue cloth of his hitai-ate had been changed to black. The hitai-ate held back his long spiky blonde hair and two bandages held the jaw-length bangs.

Naruto only stared up at the person standing in front of him and sighed. He had been trying to avoid altercation with anyone of his peers one last time but fate seemed to be against him. _Again._

"Inuzuka, move." Those two cold words caused silence to breach into the loud classroom. "Or my hand just might slip this time." And everyone shivered at his words. _Every. Single. One._

It was no secret within the Village that something had occurred some years ago – although _what,_ was unknown – and it heavily involved the blonde boy. There had been a few people to lose their lives in that incident.

Kiba took a step back, slight fear evident on his face. His animalistic senses had always screamed _ALPHA_ every time Naruto was in his perimeter. He had always tried to stand above Naruto to prove himself but he always failed. Dismally.

"Thank you." Naruto said calmly as he walked past the fearful boy and sat at his bench. The moment he looked outside, life returned to the classroom and the altercation had been forgotten.

Minutes later, their sensei – a man named Umino Iruka – walked into the classroom and began his speech. Despite the man's stereotype in the previous years, he had come to be the only fair tutor in the Academy towards Naruto.

The man began his speech about how the new generation of shinobi were always set to surpass the old, of how they should embody the Will of Fire, of how they were to protect the Village with their lives.

' _He really is a good man and an even better teacher.'_ Naruto mused. Iruka, despite his lack of outstanding shinobi strengths, was quite possibly the best teacher there was in Konohagakure no Sato. He taught the Village's ideals with such perfect execution and sound reasoning. Truly, this man was to be feared when it came to being a teacher. Or leader.

Naruto's mind returned to him when Iruka had just finished announcing the members of Teams Seven and Eight. It seems Team Seven would consist of Uchiha, Haruno and Sai, and Team Eight, Inuzuka, Aburame Shino and Hyūga Hinata. The last two had always been the most neutral towards him.

"Team Ten will consist of Akimichi Chōji, Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino. You will be led by Sarutobi Asuma." There was a loud complaining and an argument broke through between Haruno and Yamanaka until they were both silenced by a shout from Iruka.

"Be quiet!" Shouted Iruka from below. "You've both become kunoichi and it's high time you both act like them or you might lose your lives during your first missions." He said sternly, a frown etched on his face. Both girls looked slightly disheartened but said nothing else.

"Uzumaki Naruto. Your sensei asked that you meet him immediately at the Hokage Mountain." He said with a small frown. It hadn't been detailed about whom might teach his – secretly – favourite student.

"How come he gets a personal tutor while I'm left off with two losers." Said the toneless voice of Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura visibly deflated at his words but Sai showed no outward reaction.

Iruka bristled at the boy's words. " _Genin."_ He said with emphasis. "It would do you well not to question Hokage-sama's orders." He said in a strong voice.

Sasuke tsk'ed and glared outside the window by his side. The tenseness in the atmosphere was almost palpable.

"Anyways." Iruka started after calming down. "May you make the Village proud and may the Will of Fire burn strongly in you." With that said, the door opened and Jōnin began filing in to collect their students.

In his bench, Naruto merely vanished.

* * *

Standing tall at the Hokage Mountain, Jiraiya overlooked the entirety of his home. The Village that he had given so – as it had taken – much for. His childhood, his friends and his students.

He sighed deeply as his mind ventured down the dark recesses of his mind. Despite the loses he had gained all in the name of the Village's wellbeing, it was still his home and he would not abandon it. Not like _they_ did to it. To _him._

His thoughts were interrupted when a figure appeared right next to him. He glanced down at the boy beside him. _He sure has grown from the last time I saw him._ He mused.

"Jiraiya-kyōfu. It's good to see you again." Naruto said in a toneless voice. "After _all these years."_ He said, grounding out the last part.

Jiraiya, on his part, was greatly ashamed. He knew and he was _mad._

"Naruto." He began, after taking a few breaths to steady his voice from breaking – from himself breaking down. "I know I can't apologise enough nor can I make up any excuses." He took in a deep breath, that was noticed by his shorter companion. "There's a reason why I'm here. There are people after you, people like you."

Naruto frowned and looked up at his godfather in slight trepidation. "What do you mean _people like me?"_ He knew that whatever he was to be told would cause changes in his life. Jiraiya sighed.

"There's a group of S-ranked shinobi that are after people like you – jinchuriki. The power of a human sacrifice. Those who house the nine Bijū." The boy beside him gasped audibly. "You house the Kyūbi no Kitsune that attacked the Village twelve years ago."

Naruto's eyes had widened ever so slightly as Jiraiya informed him of his status. _Is that why…_ his thought process was interrupted.

"No. I know what happened and that wasn't your fault. You know it too, Naruto." Jiraiya said sternly. "This group is one of the reasons why I've been away from the Village for so long. I've been tracking them down since Orochimaru joined them and it is only recently that their true intentions surfaced."

Naruto's eyes widened at that. So Jiraiya hadn't left him as he thought. That still didn't make it right but his godfather's actions were justified. As if reading his mind, Jiraiya responded.

"Yeah. I've been protecting you from the outside, just as Sensei tried his best on the inside." Jiraiya rubber his temple, a small smile stretching on his lips. "And now that I'm here, I'm not going to leave you again."

Naruto released a breath he didn't know he had been holding and chuckled. Jiraiya had – and always would – be family. Despite his abandonment of him at a young age, he hadn't truly done so. He had been doing his best to protect him.

"Whatever you say, Ero-sennin." Naruto said with a small smile adorning his whiskered face. Jiraiya's brow twitched slightly but eventually he just sighed defeatedly.

"Even after all these years…" He trailed off, a smile spreading into a small grin. "Well kid. We're starting with our training tomorrow at the crack of dawn and I'm going to make you a damn powerful shinobi. A shinobi far better than your father ever was." He said proudly, puffing out his chest with a wide grin of his face. Naruto let out a laugh at his godfather's antics.

"You really haven't changed, sensei." Naruto said with a smile.

' _And I hope you never will.'_ Naruto said to himself.

* * *

From the top of the Hokage Tower, the Sandaime at two of his precious people. From where he was, he knew it wasn't by mistake that they stood on top of his late successor's rocky head.

' _You would be proud of them, Minato.'_ He thought, while he noticed Naruto pull at Jiraiya's arm and proceeding to pull him over the edge of the cliff. _'I spoke too soon.'_ He chuckled as he saw the tiny speck of the ever stoic blonde boy spread his arms as wide as an eagle, before both master and student disappeared into the canopy of trees.

* * *

 **Genjutsu: Sharingan** \- By establishing eye contact with a target, the Sharingan user traps them within a genjutsu which can be exploited for one of various purposes, such as: causing instantaneous — but temporary — loss of consciousness or paralysis in the target, forceful extraction of information, relaying memories, removing genjutsu placed on the target by others, and controlling a target's actions.


	2. Fire II

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Kono Yo no Kyūseishu

" _Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." – Thomas A. Edison_

* * *

It has been over two weeks since the team placements. During that period, Naruto had been training tirelessly under Jiraiya's tutelage.

The man was strong, _very_ strong. It was no wonder that it was debatable whether he was the strongest of the Sannin. On one hand, Senju Tsunade was known for her incredible strength and Iryō Ninjutsu, and on the other, Orochimaru was known for his Ninjutsu and Taijutsu prowess, having been hailed as a genius.

Despite all that, Jiraiya had somehow come out on top. He truly was a genius of hard work.

Concerning Naruto's training, Jiraiya had found a secret that Naruto had been keeping to himself for quite a long time.

* * *

 _Jiraiya and Naruto were in the middle of a Taijutsu battle. Crossing his arms above his chest, Jiraiya blocked a strong roundhouse kick from Naruto._

 _Taking advantage of his imbalance, Jiraiya grabbed Naruto's leg and spun, tossing him in the direction of a medium sized tree. Naruto spun in the air and landed on his feet on the bark of the tree just in time to leap off to the right, dodging the hail of shuriken that had followed him._

 _While midair, another set of shuriken was tossed in his direction. Five multiplied into twenty five and tore through the air towards him._

" _Shuriken Kage Bunshin." Were the words spoken by Jiraiya, commanding the cloning of the dangerous weapons._

 _Naruto, being caught in quite a dilemma and spotting no way out – other than to deflect the fast oncoming shuriken – subconsciously activated his Sharingan and grabbed a kunai to deflect the shuriken._

 _While deflecting all these shuriken, Jiraiya watched in wonder as Naruto's blue eyes bled red. For a moment he believed it to be the Kyūbi but no malevolent chakra was coming from Naruto. He quickly canceled his technique after Naruto had deflected twelve shuriken._

 _Naruto stopped and watched in wonder why his sensei has stopped his attack. He looked up at the man and saw an expectant look on his face. Then he sighed._

" _And pray tell me how you have the Sharingan." Jiraiya said, with a small downturn of his lips. "I wasn't aware you had Uchiha blood in you."_

 _Naruto put away his weapon and deactivated the chakra flow to his eyes. He looked up to the sky as he began speaking again._

" _I don't know how, sensei." He began. "But during one of the most vicious attacks about six years ago, I activated these eyes when some shinobi let loose a hail of weapons on me. I was lucky to escape with a few scratches on me but it was all thanks to my Sharingan." He said in a shallow tone, noticing the whitening fists of his godfather._

" _Jiji's ANBU apprehended the civilians and this shinobi and they were sent to the TI division. Turns out one of the civilian merchants had paid this shinobi to assassinate me during the latest attacks." He said grimly but a shallow smile crossed his lips. "They were both executed." Jiraiya's eyes slightly widened. He hadn't known if his sensei was truly serious about the law he had instated many years ago but it seemed he had underestimated him yet again._

 _Naruto, on the other hand, had been glad that the merchant had been dealt with. He had been one of the most vicious towards him during his childhood._

" _I'm glad Sensei dealt with them." Jiraiya started. "But this still doesn't explain_ how _you have the Sharingan." Jiraiya said with a frown of concentration on his face. Naruto just gave him a small smile._

" _I guess that's one more thing we have to find out."_

* * *

Taking advantage of Naruto's fully matured Sharingan, Jiraiya decided to begin training his elemental affinities. Interrupting Naruto, who was running through Taijutsu kata with Jiraiya's _Kage Bunshin_ , he called him over.

"Naruto, come over here." Jiraiya shouted out to his student. Naruto walked over to him, wiping the sweat of his forehead with a cloth he has brought. "Now, do you know what elemental affinities are?" Jiraiya asked, to which Naruto nodded.

"Elemental affinities are the five natural affinities: Fire, Wind, Earth, Lightning and Water. They are an advanced form of chakra control which enables us to mould our chakra into certain elements, like the Uchiha with their Katon or the Uzumaki with their Sūiton." Naruto concluded his textbook version of this subject.

Jiraiya was impressed. It was rare that Genin knew anything about elemental affinities but Naruto was a great exception.

"Well, that was impressive." Jiraiya said, digging into his pocket and pulling out a square paper. "This is chakra paper. It allows you to determine which elemental affinities you'll likely learn much easier than the other." He said giving the paper to Naruto. "Just pour some chakra into it and it'll show you the results."

Naruto examined the paper before laying it flat on his palm. He began pouring chakra into the paper and the results were almost instantaneous.

The paper immediately split in the middle into two parts, the one side shrinking into a tiny ball and the other dampening. Naruto just stared in wonder at what had occurred until he heard a loud whistle from Jiraiya.

"Well I'll be damned." Jiraiya said running a hand through his hair. This was amazing. Rarely did a shinobi ever have more than one or two elements but somehow his godson did. "Seems like you have a very strong alignment to those three elements."

Naruto looked up with a smirk on his face and a glint in his eyes. Things were really beginning to look up for him lately.

* * *

It had taken another two weeks of training before Naruto was allowed to go on a mission. His first mission would be outside the walls, not those chores he had seen the other Genin do.

Jiraiya had told him that he was to join Team Ten on their border patrol mission, which would last about a week and a half – considering the time they had to travel to and from the borders. Which is the reason why he was currently knocking at the door to the Hokage's office.

Hearing a voice on the other side allow him entry, he pushed open the door and walked in to find the members of Team Ten and their sensei, Sarutobi Asuma, the Hokage's son and a former member of the Shugonin Jūnishi.

"Ah, Naruto-kun. It's good that you have arrived." Said the Hokage with a smile. "I take it you're familiar with the members of this team?" Naruto nodded and turned to Asuma.

"It's been a while, Asuma." He said with a small smile. Asuma just chuckled and ruffled Naruto's hair.

"Still the ever serious kid, ain't ya Naruto?" Asuma said in a light tone, pulling back his hand when he noticed the indignant look in Naruto's eyes.

The Genin of Team Ten watched in amusement and wonder at the scene. They hadn't been aware that Naruto was friendly with their sensei at all. Naruto turned to them and nodded to them.

"Shika, Chōji." He said, greeting his much friendlier acquaintances from the Academy. They were his fellow bottom-of-the-class students. Both boys smiled and greeted him back. Then he turned to the last member.

"Yamanaka-san." He said, nodding to Ino. The blonde girl bristled at his formality. _The nerve of this guy!_

Back in the Academy, they had never seen eye-to-eye. Rather, Ino had been – along with many other members of the Uchiha's fan club – violent and vocally abusive of the blonde. Despite all that, he was never rude to her but he wouldn't take it seating down. That had built quite some tension between them.

The Hokage reading the state of relations, he cleared his throat, inadvertently causing Naruto and Asuma to stand straighter.

"Well, since everyone is here, Naruto is going to join Team Ten for the duration of this mission since his sensei is out on a mission of his own." Said the Hokage. "Your mission is to patrol the borders between Hi no Kuni and Taki no Kuni. At the end of a week, another team will be dispatched to exchange positions with you." The Hokage concluded.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. My team and I will handle it." Said Asuma, glancing at each member of his team.

"Very well. You are to exchange with the current team in two days. You're dismissed."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The rest of the Team said as they began to file out of the room.

"Naruto-kun, a word if I may." The Hokage said, interrupting procession.

"Meet us at the gates within an hour, Naruto." Asuma said before nodding to his father and then leaving the room.

"Hokage-sama?" Naruto inquired, wondering what the Hokage needed him for.

"Naruto-kun, I ask that you be careful during this mission. Takigakure no Sato is dangerously close to Tsuchi no Kuni." He sighed when he noticed a look of realisation dawn on Naruto's stoic face. "You bear an uncanny resemblance to your father and I fear the shinobi of Iwagakure no Sato still hold a grudge towards him for his actions in the previous war." The Hokage concluded grimly.

It was unrealistic for the instigators of the war to hate the man who stopped it, for doing what he did. Indeed, Iwagakure had been the one to declare war on Konohagakure but neither side had come out unscathed. The pyrrhic victory had gone to Konoha and Iwa had paid much for it. In anger of their loss, there had been numerous deaths of Yamanaka clan members – whom the majority were blonde haired – had been thought to be related to the Yondaime Hokage.

"I understand, Jiji. I'll be careful." Naruto said with a serious edge to his voice. And then he smiled. "Besides, I have Asuma-nii with me."

The Hokage chuckled. Of course, Asuma was quite the formidable shinobi and it would take much to defeat him. He truly was proud of his son's accomplishments.

"I'll see you around, Jiji." Naruto said as he walked out of the room.

* * *

It had been a few hours since they left the Village, and by the position of the sun, dusk would be upon the area with an hour. Asuma had decided that they would stop and make camp for the night just a day's walking speed from the border.

Once they had set up camp, each Genin had been designated a task. Naruto had been sent out to hunt for food, Ino had been set to scouting the area – having transferred her mind into a hawk – which was flying around the area. Shikamaru and Chōji had been sent out to search for wood for their fire. And considering that it was autumn, the fire was necessary to keep their bodies warm from the windy weather.

Naruto soon returned with his quarry of four rabbits and two birds. He had made sure to avoid the one Ino had taken control of. Shikamaru and Chōji later returned with a stack of firewood. Living in Hi no Kuni, you eventually learn that the best firewood came from Oak trees which covered almost every area of the country.

They piled up the wood and with a small katon jutsu from Asuma, they cooked their game and ate in relative silence only broken by some light chatter from Ino.

It was still early in the night but the moon shone brightly overhead, basking them in the translucent light. They chatted more and more until they turn to Naruto, who had been relatively quiet during the evening.

"Naruto." Ino began. With a slight hum of acknowledgement from the blonde boy, she continued. "Who's your sensei? I mean, he must be someone who really wanted to train _you_ instead of Sasuke-kun." Ino said animatedly, her eyes glowing at the mention of her object of affections.

The rest of the squad just rolled their eyes while Naruto sighed. He had been hoping to avoid this question but it seemed that it had also piqued Shikamaru's interest, if the slight widening of his eyes were any sign to that.

"Sorry, but I can't tell you. My sensei made me promise to stay quiet about it." He said, hoping that it'll make them forget about it. He understood why Jiraiya asked him to keep it a secret. If anyone were to see Jiraiya training another blonde, who bore a resemblance to the last, they would connect the dots. _And those are dangerous dots to connect._

"Come on!" Ino whined at loosing the chance to glean some information from Naruto. "He can't be that great if you're keeping your lips shut like that. I bet you don't even have a sensei." She said crossing her arms indignantly. Naruto just smirked at that.

 _Jiraiya_ and _not great_ cannot be spoken in the same sentence. Honestly, it made him wonder why the man hadn't become Hokage before his student. But now that he thought about it, Jiraiya wasn't the type to want to be held back by a desk and paperwork.

Shikamaru perked up when Ino had been dismissed by Naruto. He had a question of his own that he'd been wanting to ask all day.

"Hey, Naruto." The blonde boy turned to him. "When did you start learning Kenjutsu? I don't remember it being taught in the Academy."

"I doubt you'd remember anything taught in the Academy, Shika." Chōji chuckled after saying that. It was the truth though, Shikamaru had spent quite the majority of the time sleeping.

Shikamaru just glowered at his best friend but said nothing else, turning to Naruto who had his hand on the moonlight silver scabbard on his lap.

"I started learning Kenjutsu some years back after I watched a spar between a Jōnin and an ANBU." He said with a small smile. The battle had been quite amazing to the nine year old blonde boy. The speed and skill shown by the shinobi and kunoichi was truly breathtaking. "Plus I read that the Uzumaki were quite skilled in swordsmanship, as they were in Fuinjutsu."

"Wait! The Uzumaki were a real clan?" This information had immediately attracted Ino's interest. As had it had her teammates. Naruto nodded to her in acceptance.

"So where are they? If a clan was that skilled, they should be fa…" Chōji trailed off when he noticed the frown on Naruto's lips.

"Their Village was destroyed by the joint works of Iwagakure and Kumogakure during the Second Shinobi World War." Naruto concluded in a dejected tone. The thought that two villages would team up to destroy one just because of their neutrality and prowess, proved how vile the shinobi world was.

"It is why we wear their emblem on our standard shinobi attire. To honour them and our alliance. It took the joint teamwork of two of the Five Great Shinobi Villages _three days_ to destroy Uzushiogakure no Sato." Asuma said, pride bleeding into his voice, as he turned around to show his team the red swirl on the back of his flak jacket.

"So that makes you the sole survivor of the Uzumaki clan." Ino said in a somber mood. _Just like Sasuke-kun._ Naruto gave her a small smile.

"I suppose it does. Those who survived the invasion were scattered across the nations, probably changing their names and such." Naruto said, gesturing a circular motion with his right hand – the world. _And I'm going to search for them as best as I can._

They chatted more, deep into the night until they decided to go to sleep. Having scheduled their night watch shifts, Shikamaru stayed up first, because he wanted to sleep longer than wake up earlier.

* * *

Five days into the mission and it could be summed up in one word.

 _Boring._

And with Ino's incessant complaints about the mission, it was beginning to grate on everyone's nerves. Never had he ever thought that someone could speak so much within a day. Now he knew how much the Uchiha suffered at the hands of his fan girls.

While the mission was boring, it was crucial in the defence of the Village. There had been many incidents of shinobi infiltrating the borders of countries in attempts of assassinating powerful figures within or to kidnap certain people.

His own mother and Hyūga Hinata had been victims of such attempts.

Hence it was a necessity for the borders to be patrolled almost constantly, especially in times of peace as they were in times of war.

Pitched up on a high branch of a tall tree, Naruto spotted a few shadows from the other side of the border. From the side of Takigakure no Sato.

And they all wore red and brown shinobi attire. _Not good!_

Naruto leaped down to Asuma and immediately warned him.

"I spotted five Iwa shinobi coming from the direction of Takigakure." Naruto said in a serious tone. "One of them seems to have chakra off the charts while the other four seem to be high Genin and mid Chūnin."

Asuma frowned and signalled for his students to approach him.

"There are five shinobi trying to infiltrate the borders. Naruto will take the Chūnin and the rest of you will take the three Genin. I'll take the Jōnin. Be careful." Asuma commanded in a sharp tone. His Genin weren't much prepared for this but he'd do his best to dispatch the Jōnin in time to help his students.

"Hai." They chorused as they leapt off the branches to the direction of the fine shinobi.

Ino's hands were shaking while Chōji's lack of his usual packet of chips showed his anxiousness. Naruto nodded to each of them as an attempt to ease their worries, as they sped through the foliage to the intruders.

* * *

This was supposed to be a simple retrieval mission. Their _package_ was to be the Uchiha, who at this moment – according to their spies – was out on a simple escort mission near Kusagakure no Sato, which was a few hours from here.

Hence why Han had come along. The boy's sensei was Sharingan no Kakashi was a man not to be trifled with. That man had more bodies under his name than the number of jutsu he had copied and he had copied a _thousand._

The mounting figure of Han ran across the barren fields between Taki no Kuni and Hi no Kuni with four of his teammates behind him. _Teammates._ A term he used very loosely.

For all that had happened in his life, he had come to despise humans. Their _inhumanity_ disgusted him to the core. They created weapons off the monsters they feared and in turn, hated those weapons they had created. It was truly despicable in their greed for dominance and power.

He supposed his thoughts could be biased due to the Bijū he inhibited, Gōbi, which seemed to hate humans down to its very core. At least his leader allowed him reprieve from civilisation, opting to have him live in the mountains outside the village.

Just as they were rushing across the threshold, they had to leap back when a violent wind attempted to blow them away.

" _Fūton: Daitoppa."_ Came the voice of a relatively young man. After the jutsu stopped, five Konoha shinobi appeared on the other side of the border; only a few meters from them.

"Halt! State your purpose of entering Hi no Kuni. Shinobi of Iwagakure no Sato are not particularly welcome to this side of the nations." Asuma stated in a serious tone. He was analysing the shinobi in front of them until his eyes widened.

Han just stared at the five shinobi in front of him and turned away.

"It is none of your concern. We have a mission and I will see it through even if you have to perish for it to be accomplished." He said, his deep voice grating at them and causing some shivers to run up the spines of the Konoha ninja.

Asuma gripped the trench knives attacked to his flak jacket and turned to his students.

"Follow the plan. This will be a difficult battle. The leader is the Gōbi's jinchuriki, Han." His students gasped at what he had just told them. He turned to Naruto. "Finish as quickly as you can and assist the others while I deal with him. I'll need your help if necessary."

"Hai." Naruto said, his face blank of any expressions and a steely edge to his voice.

Asuma turned to their enemies and flashed through hand signs, faster than his students could follow. He ended with the tiger seal.

" _Katon: Haisekishō no Jutsu!"_ He intoned, breathing out a huge plume of smoke. Then he clicked his teeth and the smoke ignited resulting in a huge explosion.

"Go!" He commanded his students, who then leapt off, following Naruto to the three Genin and one Chūnin who had stayed behind when their leader had gone after Asuma.

* * *

Naruto activated his Sharingan and placed it under a subtle Genjutsu which would make it seem as though his eyes hadn't changed at all. Reading the chakra levels of each of the remaining four shinobi, he commanded.

"Ino, take the short Genin. Chōji, the larger one. Shikamaru, take the one in the middle. I'll take their leader, go!" Naruto commanded and sped to his opponent as fast as he could.

"Hai!"

Grabbing a kunai from his pouch, Naruto leapt at the Chūnin. He was quite tall with a slightly brawny figure and dark brown hair. He had a scar underneath his left eye and seemed to be around the ages of nineteen and twenty.

The older boy pulled out a kunai and clashed with Naruto which resulted in a shower of sparks.

"You look very familiar." Said the older boy, pushing down on Naruto after a short struggle of strength. Then his eyes widened and an angry snarl ripped from his throat. "You're that bastard's child! I'll kill you!" He shouted kicking Naruto on the chest then speeding through hand signs.

" _Dōton: Doryūso!"_ The Chūnin shouted out, holding his hand in a snake seal. Spears made of hard earth immediately started growing out of the ground, speeding to Naruto's direction, who was flying through hand seals.

Choosing the most effective element in this situation, he held the dragon seal and intoned.

" _Raiton: Jibashi!"_ The jutsu, being the first one he ever learnt, obviously was the one he had mastered efficiently. Strong lightning currents sparked to life around his hands and started spreading around the area. The lightning tore through the earth spears and headed to the direction of the Chūnin, who was taking a chance at escape. _Not on my watch._

Naruto released the dragon seal, dug into his pocket and threw five shuriken. He then clapped his hands and muttered the name of the jutsu.

" _Fūton: Kaze Shuriken!"_ His shuriken we're immediately enveloped in wind chakra and cut through the air towards the Chūnin who slammed his hands on the ground.

" _Dōton: Doryūheki!"_ The shuriken struck the wall, except for one that cut at the corner and continued speeding through the air.

The Chūnin believing that he had defended himself well, started running through hand seals until he felt something pierce through his chest.

"Ugh!" He groaned out as he looked down his chest, only to see the tip of a pitch black chokuto humming with wind chakra. That was his last sight as he fell to the ground. Dead.

Naruto sighed in slight disgust as he pulled out his blade and flicked the blood off of it. He then laid the Chūnin down and offered a silent prayer, then sped off to the rest of the team.

* * *

Ino was having a much better time than Naruto. It seems that the boy in front of her wasn't that skilled, just below average at least while she was mid to high Genin.

Ever since the warning she and Sakura had received from Iruka the day of the team placements, she had trained harder with her team and her father in order to be able to protect herself and her team.

The shorter boy jumped back and Ino took advantage of that. Speeding through hand seals, she stopped and held the snake seal.

" _Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu!"_ She whispered as she disappeared from sight. The boy looked around, frantically searching for his opponent only to feel himself choke and gag at the blood flowing into his lungs and seeping out of the slit on his throat. He fell to the ground and bled to death.

Ino, realising what she had done, ran to the side and vomited out her lunch. Despite being prepared for this, she still suffered the reaping of her own sowing.

Tears started flowing down her face and she didn't even notice when Naruto appeared, she only felt him rub her back and she leapt up to him. He held her knowing she needed the comfort.

He embraced her for those moments while whispering to her about how it was necessary for her survival. He rubbed her back for a while longer as her sobbing turned to silent tears. A minute or two later, she stopped entirely.

"Come, we have to find the others." Naruto said when he noticed that Ino seemed to have quietened. She nodded and they ran off to the other team members.

* * *

Shikamaru wasn't having such an easy time. His opponent, it seemed, was probably the strongest of the three Genin. He had been throwing elemental jutsu at Shikamaru – and a few had managed to scathe him – not knowing that he was creating openings for him.

Again, the _strongest_ not the _smartest._

Shikamaru leapt away once again – which was becoming tiresome to him – and knelt to the ground with his fingers set into a rat seal. His shadow sped across the clearing and into the hole his opponent had created with his _Shinjū Zanshu_ previously.

" _Kagemane no Justu._ Success." Shikamaru intoned. His opponent, who stood on the other side of the second hole stood stock still. He began moving awkwardly, imitating his opponent

"W-what? How did you capture me?!" The boy shouted out in wonder and fear. He hadn't expected the seemingly weak opponent to manage to defeat him. He had severely underestimated the Nara.

"Look at the field. Your jutsu created many shadows, kinda foolish when you're going again members of my clan. We're the bane of _Dōton_ users." Shikamaru said, his lips upturned into a smirk. He then reached into the pouch on his right – to which his opponent imitated – and pulled out a kunai.

His opponent's pouch was on his left thigh.

"This is it." Shikamaru muttered as he grasped the kunai tightly and threw it in his opponents direction. The kunai lodged itself in his neck and he was dead before he fell to the ground.

Shikamaru looked away as he felt bile leap into his throat but he forced it down. He was a shinobi. After gaining his bearings, he ran off to the direction Chōji and his opponent had taken.

* * *

Naruto and Ino had been running for a few minutes until they eventually made it to Chōji's battle. The rotund boy was laying on the ground, heaving, while his opponent was creeping at him with a kunai in hand.

Around them were trenches and spikes which showed evidence of Akimichi and _Dōton jutsu._

"Chōji!" Ino screamed out but it seemed they would be too late to save him. At that moment, Naruto released all the restrictive seals Jiraiya had put on his body and blurred across the field with his blade in his hand.

It all happened in a matter of moments. One moment, the brawny Genin was swaggering his way to the boy he had been fighting. It had been quite a tough battle, he would admit that, but Iwa shinobi were made of stronger stuff that Konoha shinobi. The next moment, he heard a feminine voice scream out a name – which must have been his opponent's name – he didn't stop either way. The last moment, he _saw_ a blur fly right past him.

That was all.

He never felt his opponent coming.

He never felt the blade cut through his neck.

He never felt his head vacate his body and drop to the barren floor.

All this happened in a matter of moments.

The rest of the members of Team Ten watched in shock and disgust at the scene. The now headless body of the last Genin was spurting out blood like a fountain, all over Naruto and Chōji, and all over the floor of the barren wasteland. This time Shikamaru got sick and proceed to vomit. Ino did the same however, for the second time that day.

Chōji, fortunately, was knocked unconscious by the trauma of seeing his opponents head being dislodged. Naruto looked at his handiwork in disgust. And turned to the side and vomited.

 _Such is the life of the shinobi._

After regaining his bearings, he sighed and began to clean himself up. He created two clones which picked up Chōji and took him to the rest of the team. He then turned to them but was interrupted by an explosion of familiar malevolent chakra.

 _Shit!_

Naruto sped off to Asuma's clearing, leaving behind the recovering Team Ten under the protection of his clones.

* * *

Asuma was not having a good day. _At all._

Firstly the mission was getting on his nerves, being too long and unnecessarily quiet. Secondly, their mission had suddenly gotten exciting when enemy shinobi had been spotted.

He regretted the second part.

Had he known that Jōki no Han would have been his opponent during this mission, he might have opted out of it. He still wanted to live a full life, watch his kids grow and maybe have a few kids of his own. But that seemed a far fetched idea now in the face of his opponent.

Han was strong. He was _very strong._ Especially when it came to Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. This man – being a jinchuriki – could throw a limitless number of elemental Ninjutsu without breaking a sweat.

Asuma had tried to engage him in Taijutsu but had failed dismally. He had forgotten the one crucial thing this specific jinchuriki had. His _Fūtton_ bloodline. And he had paid for it. The burn on his left shoulder was proof enough.

So he has resorted to Ninjutsu. To which he also has a disadvantage, his opponent being a stronger _Katon_ user and _Fūton_ was weak against this element. But that didn't mean he stopped trying.

He has resorted to the use of his _Hien_ and it was doing great for him. He had managed to scratch his opponent a few times as well as damage the conical hat Han favoured so much. That had set him off.

Han had begun to attack more fiercely once he activated his _Kairiki Musō_ and incorporated it into his fighting style. Right now, Asuma had been scorched a few several places on his attire and on his body. _I suppose it's time to kick it up a notch._ Asuma mused to himself.

 _Rat. Dog. Tiger._

He breathed in and intoned.

" _Katon: Zukokku!"_ And he blew out an enormous fireball which impacted with Han and exploded in a shower of earth and fire.

Asuma heaved while trying to keep his balance. That jutsu was taxing on his reserves, especially now that he had spent a lot chakra attempting to contend with a jinchuriki.

"Hopefully that will put him down." He said to himself. He straightened up but his feet almost gave up when he sensed _that_ chakra. "Shit!" He cursed out to no one. The fight was about to get a while lot difficult now.

That's when he spotted Naruto in his peripheral vision. Naruto stopped right in front of him and held out his blade defensively. _Huh._ Asuma thought to himself. _This kid really is brave. Or very stupid._

"You okay, Asuma? I came as fast as I could. We've already dispatched the other four and your team is resting with a pair of my clones guarding them." Naruto spoke, his voice with a serious edge to it. "They had their first kills – besides Chōji."

Asuma was impressed. Disheartened that it happened so early in their careers but impressed nonetheless. He the glanced at Naruto.

"Thank you." Naruto nodded. Then Asuma turned to the dissipating smoke of the explosion he had set off. "It seems we have a berserk jinchuriki to fight now." He stated grimly. Fighting a jinchuriki – army killers at that – was like a Genin attempting to defeat a Kage. All possible but very, _very,_ difficult

"Really?" Naruto turned to Asuma, a smirk marring his face and his Sharingan spinning ever so fast. "Let's dance with him then." Asuma gaped at Naruto's insinuation.

 _I was right. This kid is crazy._

At that moment, a figure burst from the smoke and landed some meters away from them. Han – if he could be called that anymore – was no longer the human he had fought before. Now, his entire body was red – a cloak of chakra stuck to his skin. His eyes and mouth didn't show any features, only empty white sockets and a white maw.

And he roared.

Naruto smirked at their now opponent. _Finally, a battle worth fighting._ His eyes spun so fast that they begun changing shape.

Naruto's eye colour inverted, the black of the tomoe becoming the iris and the red of the iris depicting a pattern. The pattern formed was somewhat that of three intersecting ellipses with a three-bladed shuriken around a red pupil.

The world became more clear, moved slower and faster at the same time. His Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan flashed around, reading the situation and his opponent. His eyes could see the chakra cloak – akin to fire – flickering on Han's body. _It certainly has been a while since I used these eyes._

Han decided to attack Naruto – after sensing the chakra that could stop him within his eyes. Kokuō was frantic. This _boy_ had eyes that could subdue it if necessary. Hence it started seeping more chakra into Han, making up four tails worth of chakra in its jinchuriki.

Han sped towards Naruto, attempting to kill him first but Asuma intercepted with a high kick to his chin.

" _Hien!"_ His chakra blades began to hum with wind chakra with sharpened the blades and added two feet long blades made of pure wind chakra.

He then leapt off towards the airborne Han, with Naruto following behind on the ground, his chokuto humming with wind chakra as well. Asuma crossed his blades and attempted to cut at Han's torso but failed.

Han recovered from the blow well by spinning in the air and landing with a crouch on his fours. Then, like the horse he jailed, he began galloping towards his larger opponent as Asuma made way to cut at him again.

Avoiding the first chakra blade, he made way to uppercut Asuma, but a _Kage Bunshin_ swapped places with him, taking the hit in his stead.

"Asuma, be careful!" Naruto warned. "Bijū chakra is highly volatile to any who isn't a jinchuriki." Asuma nodded at the advice. _This battle just got a lot more difficult._

"Follow my lead." Naruto sped towards Han, his blade striking in a horizontal pattern, which resulted in a cry of pain from the jinchuriki. With an uppercut to the chin and a kick to the navel, Han flew back while attempting to regain his balance. The moment he landed, he was covered in smoke.

" _Katon: Haisekishō!"_ Asuma intoned as he ignited the gunpowder.

Having exchanged places with some fallen bark using _Kawarimi_ , Naruto stood up straight. They were under no illusions that that jutsu has taken out a jinchuriki.

A loud roar covered the area and the smoke was blown away. In the trench that had been created by the explosion stood a now five-tailed jinchuriki.

Han roared once again and began speeding towards his two opponents – who were terribly becoming a nuisance.

Glancing back at Asuma, he smirked when he saw the look in his eyes.

"Asuma." Naruto shouted out to him. "Formation F2!" He said. They both sped through hand seals and released their jutsu. Both their hands resting on the snake and tiger seal respectively.

Back when Naruto was younger, he used to visit the Sarutobi Clan Compound. Many a time, he would play around with Konohamaru or challenge Asuma to a game of Shogi. Sometimes Asuma would entertain the jutsu that Naruto would imagine and let him write them down. Now was their chance to put them to play.

" _Katon."_ Naruto breathed in, compressing a large amount of chakra for his jutsu. " _Gōryūka!"_ He breathed out a fireball which changed into a dragon head, easily double his size.

" _Fūton: Atsugai!"_ Asuma breathed out a large sphere of air which powered the dragon headed fireball and let loose a firestorm.

Han had no way of avoiding such a massive jutsu so he did his best to cover himself with his arms and tails.

The explosion that following was one to be recorded. It would surely leave a mark on this land.

 _Boom!_

A lone figure was blown out of the explosion and floated momentarily in the air, until gravity took effect and dropped the figure to the earth, creating yet another crater in the area.

* * *

The members of Team Ten watched in shock at what they had witnessed. _Naruto,_ the boy who had failed twice and was one of the worst students in the Academy, had just assisted their sensei in defeating their opponent – who was the jinchuriki of the _freaking_ Gōbi.

One of the clones he had left them with had been popped some moments ago, attempting to protect them from the heat and the rubble. They were all scratched and scarred but otherwise fine.

Then they noticed some movement in the crater where their enemy had fallen. Asuma was on his knees, the last jutsu having taken much from him. Ino screamed out to her sensei and Naruto, trying to warn them that their opponent had turned to mud. She was too late.

A figure appeared from the earth and scratched Asuma across the chest.

"Ugh!" Asuma ground out in pain. The searing pain of a slight Bijū's chakra seeping into his body _hurt_.

"Asuma!" Naruto cried out when he saw the state he was in. He immediately created a clone which stayed next to Asuma as he searched for Han. Then he sensed it. A low rumble in the direction of the rest of Team Ten. _No._

Han broke out of the ground right behind the three Genin and made way to attack them. He kicked Chōji on his chest as he turned and slapped away Shikamaru, both boys rolling across the field and landing painfully. The _Kage Bunshin_ met it's end after being punched by a steaming fist.

In his shock, Naruto saw the grin on Han's grotesque features as he turned to Ino. _No. No. No._

Han began to reach for Ino – his whole body steaming from head to toe – but he was interrupted but an explosion of chakra. Instead of the normal blue chakra or the red – which he had sensed in the form of a Bijū in the boy – this chakra was a dark silver.

The chakra was thick, calming and oppressive at the same time. Then something he never would have imagined, happened.

Children at the Academy were taught basic shinobi techniques. The _Bunshin, Henge and Kawarimi._ Those three were the base of all techniques. They had been taught about the impossibilities of each of these techniques. Such as the _Bunshin_ being incorporate, the _Henge_ being an illusion and the _Kawarimi_ being limited to inanimate objects.

Imagine his surprise when the girl in front of him vanished and was almost instantaneously replaced by the blonde boy. The blonde boy who then held out his hand to his navel and muttered a word that caused Kokuō to run rampant in his mind.

" _Gakidō."_

And Naruto saw black.

* * *

 **Kage Bunshin – Shadow Clone Technique:** B-rank, Supplementary; Similar to the basic Clone Technique, this technique creates copies of the user, however, these clones are corporeal instead of illusions. The user's chakra is evenly distributed among every clone, giving each clone an equal fraction of the user's overall power. The clones are capable of performing techniques on their own, including the Shadow Clone Technique itself, and can even bleed, but will usually disperse after hit by a strong enough force. The clones can also disperse on their own, or be dispelled by the user of the technique.

 **Shintenshin no Jutsu – Mind Body Switch Technique:** C-rank, Supplementary; Originally, this ninjutsu was suited for intelligence-gathering missions rather than battle. With it, a ninja sends his mind as spiritual energy into a target's body supplanting the target's mind with their own. The user transfers their consciousness to the target, giving them complete control of the body for a short period of time. While in control of the body, the user is able to communicate with the target. Since the user is in another body, they are also able to use that body's chakra. It is also possible for the user to switch bodies with the target. This has great strategic value when used on a team-mate as neither body is left incapacitated and they may also make use of the user's abilities as well as their own while doing this. To remain inconspicuous when spying, the user can perform this technique on an animal, such as a hawk, which they can use to do aerial reconnaissance. It is generally used on immobilised targets.

 **Fūton: Daitoppa – Wind Release: Great Breakthrough:** C-rank, Offensive; If used by a superior shinobi, it has enough destructive power to knock down a large tree. The wind from the squall can blow away all things in the user's line of sight. The technique can also be used in the form of a devastation stream of wind expelled from the user's mouth. There is also a variation of the technique involves a smaller blast of wind which gets ignited with flame.

 **Katōn: Haisekishō – Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning:** B-rank, Offensive; The user spews a stream of chakra-infused gunpowder from their mouth, which surrounds the region. As the gunpowder is composed entirely of ash, it stays in the air around the victim like a cloud, which can be used like a smokescreen. After surrounding the enemy with the ash, the user can ignite it with a flint placed on their teeth beforehand to create a spark, resulting in a violent explosion, burning the enemy. However, this technique requires keen senses to read the air currents, the insight to read the movements of the enemy, the tactical experience to not also enfold one's allies in the flames, and careful attention for the timing of the ignition.

 **Dōton: Doryūsō – Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears:** B-rank, Offensive; This technique lets the user condense mud or stone from the ground and shape it into spikes that protrude from the ground in order to skewer the target. The spikes cannot penetrate targets of greater density.

 **Raitōn: Jibashi – Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder:** C-rank, Offensive; A basic Lightning Release technique that allows the user to create a wave of electricity from their hands. The user can vary its power from a small surge to shock an opponent to a powerful stream of lightning capable of ripping through solid rock.

 **Fūton: Kaze Shuriken – Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken:** C-rank, Offensive; By infusing wind-natured chakra into shuriken, the user can make them spin, as well as control them in the air.

 **Dōton: Doryūheki – Earth Release: Mud Wall:** B-rank, Defensive; The user creates a solid wall of earth as a form of defence. Chakra is either converted to earth within the body and then spat out to form the wall or the user can manipulate pre-existing earth to form the wall. The earth then instantly rises up and takes form.

 **Magen: Kokoni no Arazu no Jutsu – Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique:** C-rank, Supplementary; A genjutsu that allows one to trick others into mistaking the place they're in for another. This technique's main feature is that it can be cast over an extensive surface, therefore any and all who step into the illusion's area of effect will fall under the spell. That said, it might not work so well on people who are well-versed or otherwise skilled in genjutsu.

 **Dōton: Shinjū Zanshu – Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation:** D-rank, Supplementary; This technique conceals the user underground and drags the object of their attack down into the earth, robbing them of their freedom, leaving them completely unable to move after they're underground. In addition, they can start another attack. This technique is normally used for torture, by cutting into the enemy's neck after it was used.

 **Kagemane no Jutsu – Shadow Imitation Technique:** Supplementary; The user extends their shadow on any surface (even water) to merge with a target's shadow, thereby forcing them to imitate the user's movements. A tactic used to make this technique more lethal is to carry their shuriken holster on the side that shinobi normally don't wear it, this way when the user reaches to throw a shuriken at them, the target will be reaching for nothing. If the target is out of range, the user can produce a better light source to increase their shadow's size or rely on pre-existing shadows for their shadow to freely travel through. It's also possible to split one's shadow, either to trap more opponents at once, or to create a distraction.

 **Fūtton: Kairiki Mūso – Boil Release: Unrivalled Strength:** A-rank, Supplementary; The user increases the temperature of chakra to the boiling point, generating large amounts of steam and evaporating any water or ice in direct contact with their body. The pressure resulting from this emitted steam can then be used to increase the force behind physical attacks, giving the user immense exact amount of force produced is proportional to the quantity of steam released, as the greater the volume of steam utilised, the larger the pressure that can be built up. On releasing the pressure, not only is the user's strength enhanced, but their speed increased as well.

 **Hien – Flying Swallow:** B-rank, Offensive; An addition-line ninjutsu that augments the killing power of a blade — like a kunai or sword — by flowing chakra into it to extend its cutting edge past the length of the physical blade-itself. The materialised chakra is shaped like a blade, cutting up everything it touches. It is also possible to alter the attack range of the weapon by adjusting the amount of chakra put into the blade. Seeing through the movements is said to be very density of the chakra is so high it becomes visible. It not only raises the power of the weapon, but simultaneously turns oneself into a blade as well. The chakra-enhanced blades are strong and sharp enough cut through solid rock and iron. The technique works best with elemental chakra, especially with wind-natured chakra, which greatly increases the cutting power.

 **Katōn: Zukokku – Fire Release: Cranium Carver:** B-rank, Offensive; When initiated, the shinobi fires a small fireball that erupts into a giant fire-storm after making contact with a surface, causing widespread destruction to the area. Since the flames travel along the ground, and cover such a wide area this is a difficult technique to evade.

 **Kawarimi no Jutsu – Body Replacement Technique:** E-rank, Supplementary; With this technique, users replace their own body with some other object, generally with a block of wood, the moment an attack lands. This creates an optical illusion, making the enemy think the attack was successful. From this, the user can use the lapse in the enemy's attention to attack or flee from the battlefield. Explosive tags can be attached to the replacement for an added surprise. Despite it being a basic ninjutsu taught at the Academy, it is seen as a useful art that can be applied in variety of situations as it allows for a swift getaway from danger. The technique even allows a restrained shinobi to escape capture.

 **Katōn: Gōryūka – Fire Release: Great Dragon Flame:** B-rank, Offensive-Supplementary; The user compresses a large amount of chakra built up inside their body and changes it into a dragon head-shaped fireball. The user then skilfully manipulates that great fire, and attacks their opponent. Even outside of the attack range, its power and reliability are stressed.

 **Fūton: Atsugai – Wind Release: Wind Pressure Damage:** B-rank, Offensive; This tornado-like mass is compressed until it has a very high density before being released. The blast can hit a vast range, inflicting massive damage on both the target and their close surroundings.

 **Henge no Jutsu – Transformation Technique:** E-rank, Supplementary; Given all the missions ninja are assigned to - battle, intelligence gathering, diversions - this is a priceless ninjutsu. It is typically used to change into people other than oneself, but one also has the ability to change into animals, plants, and even inanimate objects like weapons. This gives this technique an abundance of uses. The transformation of a skilled shinobi will be exactly like the genuine article, so it will be impossible to tell the two apart. On the other hand, a transformation performed by an inexperienced person will have obvious discrepancies. It will be impossible to deceive anyone with it. This is one of the most basic ninjutsu, as such most shinobi know how to perform it.


	3. Fire III

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Kono Yo no Kyūseishu

" _Life is less about uncovering secrets and more about discovering truths." – Ranal Currie._

* * *

Naruto woke up with a pained gasp which startled Ino who had been tending to him, changing the cloth that she had laid on his forehead in an attempt to cool his fever.

Ever since he saved her two days ago, she had offered to keep constant watch on him. Their battle with the Gōbi jinchuriki had taken a slight turn after Naruto had been knocked out.

* * *

 _When Naruto had swapped places with her, she had felt her heart drop as Naruto fell to his side. Han had fallen to his knees, with more than half of chakra cloak which had covered his entire body having disappeared within seconds._

 _Asuma immediately stood up and sped towards Han who was slowly regaining his balance, with pure wind chakra extending his blades. He had meant to cut through Han's neck but he had brought up a sturdy defence by coating his arms with Dōton chakra. He then leapt a distance away, heaving._

" _I'll make sure you perish someday, mark my words." He growled while glancing at the body on the ground being protected by the Konoha Jōnin. Then he leapt off to the direction of his continent having deemed this mission a failure._

 _Asuma stood for some moments longer until he couldn't sense Han within his perimeter anymore, then he fell to his knees, his left hand grasping tightly across his chest._

" _Asuma-sensei!" His students shouted out as they ran to his side and laid him gently onto the ground. Ino pried off his arm and ran through a short sequence of hand seals._

"Shōsen no Jutsu _." Ino's hands were encompassed by a green aura as she let them linger over the four claw sized gashes across Asuma's chest._

 _The wounds started to close up at a very slow rate, the blood flowing though them having been clogged up moments earlier._

 _While Ino was healing Asuma, Shikamaru and Chōji – who had been helped up by Naruto's remaining_ Kage Bunshin _– moved over to Naruto._

 _His face was set in a grimace – an expression they had never seen on Naruto before – and his body was spasming at irregular intervals. Both boys kneeled down to him and picked him up and moved towards to where Asuma and Ino were._

" _Stop." Asuma manages to breathe out from his pain. "Ino, check on Naruto, I'll be fine now." He said as he struggled to sit up._

" _But sensei-" Ino started._

" _I've survived from more life threatening wounds, Ino. Just give me a bandage roll." Eventually, Asuma had managed to sit up straight with the help of Shikamaru and Chōji._

" _Naruto's fine, sensei. He doesn't have any wounds that need healing but he has a fever and his body is spasming sporadically." Shikamaru informed his sensei. Chōji had been quiet throughout this exchange mostly out of the trauma and fear he had experienced that day._

 _It wouldn't be until later that afternoon that they would begin to travel back to the Village at a rather slow pace._

* * *

Waking up with a gasp, Naruto almost collided with Ino but she had been lucky to back away in time. Breathing deeply in and out, he tried to calm himself. Turning to Ino who seemed to be offering him a peculiar stare, he spoke.

"Where are we?" He immediately regretted it when he begun coughing due to the desert he felt his throat had become. Ino immediately took the hint and reached for a flask of water and gave it to him.

The cool refreshing liquid quenched his dry throat and gave him some energy to move his body into the right sitting position. He crossed his legs and took a siting position that reminded Ino of those meditative stances taught to monks and shinobi alike.

"We're a few hours from Konoha. You've been out for almost two days." Ino's soft lips then parted into a grin. "Good thing you woke up, Shikamaru was just about to die from having to carry you all this way." She said, a light laugh escaping from her mouth.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow while a ghost of a smile set on his lips. Ino's sudden friendly behaviour came as a surprise to him but it was not unwelcome. He looked around the area they were in. They seemed to be deep within the forests of Hi no Kuni and in the middle of this clearing laid some burnt wood and ash of a fire that had been lit earlier.

"What happened to me?" He said turning back to Ino. The blonde girl's delicate eyebrows formed a small frown. He noticed her hands seemed to be sweaty and there were slight bags of exhaustion under her eyes.

"When you saved me from that Jōnin-" ' _Ah, so that must be why.'_ Naruto mused. "You put your hand on his stomach and all of a sudden you got knocked out. His chakra cloak – or whatever Asuma-sensei called it – lost three tails when you touched him and he fell to his knees. When he was about to attack you, Asuma-sensei jumped in and the shinobi fled." She concluded. They had survived quite well when they had faced that shinobi.

"Is Asuma-sensei okay?" Naruto said giving Ino a worried look. Asuma had taken the brunt of a Bijū-powered claw and although it might not have been much, it must have wounded him quite badly.

Ino was surprised by the worry Naruto exhibited when asking about her Sensei. Apparently both males must have quite a close relationship from what she had seen during the mission.

"Asuma-sensei's fine. That clawed attack from the Jōnin left him bleeding badly but I was able to stop it from getting worse." Ino's pride in herself was unmistakable. She truly had played quite a pivotal role during this mission as the medic. Naruto breathed out in relief when he heard this. His eyes crinkled up slightly as he spoke.

"Thank you, Ino. For healing Asuma and taking care of me." He said, a radiant look upon his face.

Ino for her part was stumped. Naruto had thanked _her_ for healing someone else other than himself first. A pink hue spread across her cheeks in fluster.

"I-it's okay, Naruto, really." She said while waving about her hands. "I should be the one thanking you for saving me from that guy."

"I was just doing my job, Ino." He ran a hand through his blond locks, noticing the lack of bands that usually held his bangs together. "Besides, it wouldn't do my conscious well to know that a teammate died when I could have done something about it." He concluded with a small smile. Ino's already pink hue darkened slightly.

"I guess it wouldn't." She eventually supplied a response after calming herself. Until that calm was shattered once again.

"Uhm, Ino…where are my clothes?" He asked, his crystal blue piercing the girl's turquoise coloured eyes. Her eyes subconsciously trailed down to his bare and scarred upper body and her cheeks turned a dark red. _Damn!_ She began to frantically search for his clothes which had been folded up neatly next to his sleeping bag. Naruto just smirked at the reaction he got from Ino.

Ino managed to sneak a glance at him before giving him his clothes and turning the other way. It had been no secret that Naruto was one of the better looking guys in the Academy – he just wasn't approachable, unfortunately.

Naruto decided to stretch his legs for a bit after having worn his mesh shirt but he had forgone his ANBU-style armour. The sun was just starting to peak in the horizon, indicating that he had woken up at the early hours of the day.

"Ino." He called out to the blonde girl who turned to him. "You can rest for a few hours. I'll take watch." He said while bending his back to stretch his muscles.

"Alright." Ino responded. She moved to her bag and immediately dozed off.

Naruto crossed his fingers and summoned three _Kage Bunshin_ and ordered them to keep watch of intruders that might attack their camp.

 _That dream I had…does it mean something?_ Naruto thought to himself, a frown marred on his face.

In his state of unconsciousness, he had dreamt that he was floating in a lake surrounded by darkness with no hint of light. There had been two raging voices, of beasts, not of humans but he'd managed to catch one name or rather a title.

 _Father._

* * *

A few hours later we find Team Ten and Naruto approaching the Hokage's office. Kotetsu and Izumo, the 'Eternal Gate Guards' as they had been named by their fellow shinobi, had informed them that they were to report immediately to the Hokage upon their arrival.

The Hokage's secretary stood at the office doors with a clipboard in her hand. Once she spotted the team, she opened the door for them and allowed them entry. Once they entered the office, the secretary closed the door and the walls hummed – a silence barrier being activated perhaps.

At the desk, the Sandaime Hokage sat with his elbows propped upon his desk and his fingers were intertwined. The face of their aged leader was set in stone as his eyes went over to each member of the team, resting for a moment longer on Asuma. By his side stood Jiraiya, his arms crossed and a serious look on his face. Once they walked in the whole team bowed to the Hokage.

"Asuma." Jiraiya started, his calculative eyes trailing Asuma's physique, noticing the slight wince every time the man breathed. "I trust you protected my student and your own well?" He inquired. The Genin of Team Ten watched in surprise, blinking several times. This was _Naruto's_ sensei.

"Of course, Jiraiya-sama." Asuma smirked. "Even after you bugged me for a whole week to do something I'd have done anyways." At that, Jiraiya's left eye twitched slightly and Naruto gave a petulant smirk once he caught his sensei's reaction.

"Yeah, sensei. I can't say I'm surprised that you tried to bribe Asuma with your latest _Icha Icha_ instalment knowing very well that once he's within the same vicinity as Kurenai-sensei she'd burn it and put him in a Genjutsu. You too when she finds you." Both men suddenly turned pale at that implication, even the Hokage looked slightly uncomfortable.

The members of Team Ten chuckled at their superiors dilemma; who knew Naruto had so much dirt on them. The Sandaime Hokage cleared his throat and all prior mirth was left behind.

"Team Asuma, report." The Hokage ordered. Asuma, as the leader, stepped forward.

"Hai. We managed to exchange positions with the previous team and secure our designated perimeter of the borders. We didn't face any trouble until the fifth day." He took a deep breath in preparation for the lengthy explanation. "Naruto managed to spot five Iwa shinobi crossing into our territory from the direction of Taki. We intercepted them only to find that Jōki no Han was leading the team which consisted of one Chūnin and three Genin." The Hokage's slightly widened in shock. Han was a renowned shinobi and an even more powerful jinchuriki.

"We weren't able to discern what their mission was because they became an immediate threat and we sought to neutralise them. My Genin and Naruto managed to face off against the remaining four while I faced Han. Once the Genin and the Chūnin had been defeated, Naruto came to my aid once Han began using the power of his Bijū. We battled for a while and when we thought we'd managed to put him down, it turned out that he had swapped with a _Tsuchi Bunshin_ when we fired our final attack. He appeared out of the ground and managed to wound my chest with his claws and then made way towards my team. He knocked Chōji and Shikamaru away, and as he was about to do the same to Ino, Naruto managed to substitute with her." Asuma was still surprised at what Naruto had managed to do. Substituting with a living being was in the realm of impossibility but somehow he had done that.

The Sandaime and Jiraiya seemed impressed by this feat, if the appraising gleam in their eyes was anything to go by.

"Is that all?" The Hokage inquired.

"No, Hokage-sama." Asuma said glancing at Naruto's impassive face. "I'm not even sure of what happened myself – even Naruto doesn't understand." That got a reaction from his superiors.

"What do you mean?" Jiraiya seemed as skeptical as any man would be in such a predicament. It didn't make sense for both of them to not know what occurred during that exchange.

"From what we saw," Asuma began. "The moment Naruto touched Han, three tails of his chakra cloak dissipated and Naruto was knocked unconscious. Han seemed to feel the effects and fell to his knees but when he was about to attack Naruto, I defended against him then he fled."

Jiraiya's eyes widened the more Asuma explained. _Could it be…_ he thought to himself. The Hokage sensing his student's distress, spoke to the team in front of them.

"Very well. I'm glad that you all managed to survive against this enemy and you shall all be an amount equivalent to a high A-rank mission." The Genin's eyes widened and they seemed to glance at each other in acceptance. "It seems that you do know what the details of an A or S rank mission entails." They nodded. "Good. Everyone else besides Naruto-kun is dismissed. Again, well done on this mission."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The whole team chorused, then Team Ten began to file out of the office, closing the door with a click and a glow on the walls signalling the reactivation of the silence barrier.

* * *

The Hokage turned to Jiraiya and looked him in the eye before turning back to Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, could you please explain what happened again." The Hokage asked the boy who had been left standing in the middle of the room.

"Before I substituted with Ino, I felt this surge of chakra explode out of me. I think it was what made me able to substitute with her." The Hokage nodded, that did make sense. Overpowering another's chakra system you're your own chakra was a difficult feat but not impossible. "Then when I appeared in front of Han, I mechanically touched his abdomen and muttered out a word. The word is at the tip of my tongue but I can't seem to remember it."

" _Gakidō._ The word you're looking for is _Gakidō."_ Jiraiya said while looking straight at Naruto. Naruto's eyes widened as that was the exact word that he had been trying to remember since he awoke.

"Pardon my inquisitiveness, Jiraiya, but how would you know that?" The Hokage asked in slight surprise and suspicion. That wasn't a common word and if what Jiraiya was implying was correct, this would be a great discovery.

"Because I know of a person who used that same jutsu." Jiraiya stated firmly. "Sensei, remember during the Second Shinobi World War when I stayed in Amegakure no Sato to tutor those three orphans?" The Hokage nodded at that. He had been the one to allow Jiraiya to stay that long in Ame. "One of them – Nagato – had the Rinnegan."

Both the Hokage's and Naruto's eyes widened at what Jiraiya had just told them. The Rinnegan was a fabled dōjutsu that had been used by the original Kami no Shinobi, the Rikudō Sennin. That had been the only time that specific dōjutsu had been documented and, if legends were true, the Rinnegan made him a God.

" _He, the first, with palms light and dark, hair brighter than the sun and eyes darker than the moon, shall be the last. He, the inheritor of the body and heart, master of the eyes and mind, shall have a Will stronger than the Mother's and a force more powerful than the Father's. The world is his, for his shaping._ " Jiraiya recited the prophecy that had been foretold by the Ōgama Sennin, Gamamaru, many years ago.

Naruto stood with his body frozen in shock at what he had just been told. Hearing Jiraiya mumble to himself what seemed to be a strange poem, he attempted to add chakra to his eyes.

Right in front of them, Naruto's eyes bled red and the tomoe swirled faster, giving shape to an inverse version with a pattern of three intersecting ellipses with a three bladed shuriken around the pupil and then something happened.

"Gah!" Naruto screamed out while clutching his eyes and falling to his knees. The pain he was feeling was _unbearable._ He immediately stopped pouring chakra into his eyes and they began reverting back to his sapphire blue eyes.

Jiraiya was immediately crouching by his side and the Hokage was approaching them. Once he had calmed down, he looked up to them.

"I'm fine." That didn't seem to deter them from their worrying. Jiraiya stood up and crossed his arms.

"What happened, kid? You were doing just fine some moments ago." He had been more than worried when his godson fell to his knees screaming.

"My eyes. They didn't shift to the Rinnegan as I thought they would after what you told us." Naruto stated morosely. He truly didn't know what happened. The last time – against Han – it had just happened so fast and in a considerably less _painful_ manner. "I guess I don't have the Rinnegan at all or rather it's locked and only appears when necessary." He mused aloud which drew the Hokage's attention.

"I suppose that might be possible. Dōjutsu or Kekkei Genkai are most useful and powerful when the user is in balance – both physically and spiritually." The Hokage offered his wise opinion. Jiraiya nodded at the advice.

"Indeed. Although I don't remember that happening to Nagato since his Rinnegan was always activated." Jiraiya said. The possibility of his student being imbalanced was not lost on him considering his tragic and dark childhood.

"So what you're both telling me is that my body and mind have to reach a certain balance for the Rinnegan to truly activate?" Naruto asked with a slightly expectant look. Both the Hokage and Jiraiya nodded. Naruto sighed but that didn't stop the gleam of excitement from entering his eyes.

"Naruto." He was shocked from his reverie. "About that second form of yours…" Jiraiya trailed off when his Sensei spoke over him.

"I think I know what must have happened." The Hokage began. "My Sensei, the Nidaime Hokage once told me that in the past, certain Uchiha have managed to activate their Mangekyō Sharingan in times of despair when, for example, having lost or killed a loved one. Much like how Uchiha Izuna was recorded to have gained his during the Warring Clan States era. But there have been much rarer cases, so rare that only three have been documented in the last millennia – the latest being Uchiha Madara – where they immediately activated their Eien no Mangekyō Sharingan through the same methods." Jiraiya's eyes widened when his Sensei concluded. _Could it be that these occurrences were connected to the prophecy?_ He thought to himself. Naruto, he noticed, visibly flinched at the Hokage's words.

"It matters not for the time being, we'll find out when we have to." Jiraiya said in a serious voice while glancing at the Hokage, whose eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm really impressed with your performance against another jinchuriki, Naruto." A large hand began ruffling his hair much to his chagrin. The Hokage smiled at the scene feeling quite proud of his surrogate grandson's latest accomplishment.

"Go rest, Naruto-kun. You have the rest of the day and tomorrow off so you can recuperate. Jiraiya?" The Hokage turned to his student.

"No problem. Head home kid, I'll see you later." Jiraiya added. Naruto nodded and bowed to both of them then left the room.

* * *

The moment Naruto had walked out, a tense atmosphere settled into the office.

"Jiraiya, explain." The Hokage all but ordered his student. Jiraiya sighed and moved over to the chair directly opposite the Hokage's own, barred by the desk.

"I think there might be a link between the Ōgama Sennin's prophecy and Naruto's ancestry. It seems as though the Rinnegan is the result of Uchiha and Senju blood." Jiraiya stated to which the Hokage sagely nodded to. "But the real question is: who were his ancestors? Which of his parents were either Senju or Uchiha or both? And who were his parents' parent's?" Jiraiya ran a hand through his hair. This information was unclear to both of them as both Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina had been born outside of Konoha.

"What of the two sons?" The Hokage piqued in, there had to be a clue somewhere.

"I don't know. I think I'll have to inquire from the toads one of these days." Jiraiya replied despondently. Visiting the Ōgama Sennin was _not_ on his to do list.

"I can't exactly search through the Uchiha or Senju texts as they are owned by the last members of each clan, Sasuke and Tsunade, respectively. Maybe if she were to return…" The Hokage trailed off at the thought of his wayward student. It certainly had been quite some time since he saw her.

Jiraiya frowned and looked out the window towards the Hokage Mountain specifically the stone face of his late student. _Who were you really, Minato?_

* * *

Immediately after leaving the Hokage Tower, Naruto decided to take the scenic route which meanders through the bustling streets of Konohagakure no Sato.

With everything that he had been told earlier, he felt the need to think about it all. If what Jiraiya had said was true, then fate certainly was against him.

 _No. None of that, not anymore._ He thought to himself while fiercely crushing down the feeling.

As he was thinking to himself while dodging the civilians with practiced grace, he started noticing a path being gradually opened between himself and the populace. He carried on as though none of this was a new occurrence to him. His keen eyesight and hearing caught onto what was happening around him.

He glanced around and saw the looks of fear and disgust marring the people's faces. Others had turned their backs towards him only to speak to the person besides them.

"I can't believe Hokage-sama really allowed the _demon_ to become a ninja." Said one woman who had a sneer of disgust upturning her nose – a great sign of her arrogance.

Others mumbled incoherent words but _demon_ or _it_ seemed to make it through across to him. Having had enough, Naruto quickened his pace and turned left at the next turn. He immediately froze at the sight in front of him.

 _No._

His mind went blank at the building in front of him. In front of him stood a small, quaint building that had always had a welcoming feeling if not for the cold dread and pain that wormed into Naruto's armoured heart.

Naruto's eyes were glazed with emotions he had fast become familiar with in his life. Sadness. Anger. _Pain._

He slowly walked forward towards the building and went under the yellow tape that surrounded the building. His palm rested on what was left of the right side of the wooden walls as his left hand flicked away the torn and dusty flaps at the entrance of the old shop.

When he walked inside, his eyes went over to the benches and tables that had accommodated numerous people during the shops tenure. They were broken. The tables were barely standing while the benches had either being broken or turned over. There were scratches all over the walls and a human sized crater on near the wall on the left.

And there were stains of blood _everywhere._

There was on bench, he noticed, that still stood at the table in front of the counter. A ghost of a blonde haired boy in orange sat there, stuffing his face with all the ramen he could while talking and pointing at someone on the other side of the counter. Naruto's eyes moved over to the figure that was being pointed at and immediately shut his eyes. He couldn't bear to look at the man. He had failed him. He had failed both of them.

For, on the other side of the counter, stood the ghastly figure of a dead man. Naruto stumbled and fell to one knee.

Naruto's vision inverted as he subconsciously activated his Eien no Mangekyō Sharingan. The man was the reason he had these eyes. And for the reason he had them, he had lost the first of his precious people.

Naruto immediately stood up, turned and left the building by leaping to the rooftops and speeding towards the training field he and Jiraiya frequented. He faintly heard his name being called out but he paid it to his imagination.

 _'It won't happen again. I promise you, Oji-san.'_

* * *

Yamanaka Ino had been strolling through the streets until she spotted her teammate from her recent mission. That one blonde boy who had saved her from a berserk jinchuriki.

"Naruto!" She shouted when she saw him dash out of her that torn down shop and leap to the rooftops.

Ino thought of following right after her but was stopped by someone grabbing her shoulder. Turning around quickly to attack the offender, she noticed it was Shikamaru. She had forgotten that she was still in the company of her friends.

"Let him be, Ino." Shikamaru said in a stern and serious voice that Ino had never expected to come out of her lazy teammate.

"What, why? Didn't you see what happened?" She insisted to her friend. They had seen Naruto freeze and almost robotically enter the building. "He needs someone! Naruto doesn't act like this!"

"Ino." This time it was Chōji who surprised her with her stern look. "Some things are better left as they are." He said as he turned to Shikamaru who nodded back to him. They both were aware of what had happened here years ago from their fathers and they knew it was best to leave it as it is.

"Chōji's right, this isn't something you'd want to get yourself mixed up in, Ino." Shikamaru's drawling manner of speech had changed for the sharp tone he had used earlier. "Come on, we have to get home." Shikamaru concluded, beckoning Ino to follow.

Ino agreed and followed her teammates while sparing a glance back at the building and saw the broken sign that hardly spelled out the name but she managed to read.

Ichiraku Ramen.

* * *

It was late at night, around midnight if the moon's position was right, that Naruto woke up in a barren field. The destruction in the surrounding area was quite large. Trees had been felled and gorges had been wrought.

Naruto, having calmed from his earlier despair, sat up and surveyed the field. Jiraiya was going to make him work harder on self control when he saw the state of this part of their secluded training ground.

Due to Naruto having his secret _powers_ and being the apprentice of Jiraiya, the Hokage had given them clearance to use his personal training ground. Training Ground One was probably the largest – barring Training Ground Forty-Four – training ground within the Village walls. It was located at the top of the Hokage Mountain, surrounded by a large fence and trees symbolising it as a secret training ground.

Naruto stood up and dusted himself. He then picked up his blade which had been stabbed into the earth with _Fūton_ chakra while he had been duelling with a clone. He placed it in its scabbard by his hip. Then with a flick of a hand seal, he disappeared from the training ground and appeared at the Hokage Mountain.

There was a slightly cool breeze blowing about at the top of the mountain. It was actually quite a blessing to experience such a cool temperature during the transition of seasons from autumn to winter. Graduation had been at the end of summer – which was over a month ago. Nowadays Konoha had been experiencing a slight reprieve from the harsh summers that Hi no Kuni were known for.

Naruto breathed in and exhaled deeply. This had always been his favourite season for as long as he could remember. Sometimes he would camp out with the Hokage, and this one time, he had indulged him in the theory of how infinitesimal the universe is and how just one person is but a tiny speck of it.

"How could I be destined for something so great if I'm one of the insignificant beings in this universe?" He asked himself. His mind had been clouded by these thoughts. Jiraiya's poem had – admittedly – haunted him. He didn't believe himself to be part of such a destiny.

"You know, kid." Jiraiya started as walked over to Naruto. "I never expected you to be the philosophical type. You've always been one to act rather than speak."

"You can thank Jiji for that." Naruto said with a hint of a smile on his lips. "We both know how he gets when he's giving speeches."

Both mentor and apprentice chuckled. They both knew it. It was exactly why Naruto believed that, if he had the strength, Umino Iruka could be a great leader. Both him and the Sandaime Hokage were gifted speakers. Whatever they said, always – no matter how – influenced the listener. _I suppose that Jiji saw a kindred spirit in Iruka._ Naruto mused to himself.

"Even if you're not destined for great things, destiny is just that – a man-made hope that you will amount to something great." Jiraiya said and soon turned to Naruto and looked directly into his eyes. "Only _you_ can dictate whether you become great or not."

Naruto, gazing up to Jiraiya's unyielding stare, nodded firmly and they both turned to look at the Village basking in the darkness of twilight.

Then both shinobi flickered out of existence.

* * *

A whole month swiftly passed by since the border patrol mission. Within the month, Naruto had rapidly increased his Ninjutsu repertoire and done a few several missions with Jiraiya. Most of these missions had been B to A rank missions due to Jiraiya's insistence that Naruto gain as much experience as he can from them.

Naruto had taken really well to the frog kata as though his body had been modelled for it. He was much better at it than Jiraiya ever was at his age. Jiraiya had also had Naruto sign the Toad Contract.

* * *

" _So how do I summon toads, Jiraiya-sensei?" Naruto inquired mildly._

 _Jiraiya had made him sign the Toad Contract earlier. The Contract scroll – which Jiraiya wore on his back – was nearly as large as the Forbidden Scroll. Jiraiya had unfurled it and in it had been several names written in blood – which had now dried over the ages._

 _Ōtsutsuki Asura._

 _Senju Misako._

 _Kaguya Izumi._

 _Jiraiya._

 _Namikaze Minato._

 _And the newly signed, Uzumaki Naruto._

 _Jiraiya went through the seal sequence of the jutsu which Naruto followed and copied with his Sharingan._

" _A blood offering is necessary, so you have to smear blood on your palm, make the hand seals and add as much chakra as you need to summon a specific Toad." Jiraiya informed. He then glanced around, as though searching for an escape route. "If you_ somehow _summon a large red toad, please tell it I'm not here." He ended weakly._

 _Naruto looked at his Sensei skeptically, narrowing his eyes at his sudden anxiousness. Discarding his opinions to focus on the task at hand, he bit his thumb and smeared some blood into his palm before the wound closed._

 _I. Inu. Saru. Tori. Hitsūji._

" _Kuchiyōse!" Naruto shouted out while palming the ground. There was an explosion of smoke and a loud groan of the earth followed suit._

 _Naruto blinked twice when he noticed how high above the trees he was and glanced down on the bumpy ground he now stood on. It was a strange green-turquoise colour. From where Naruto stood, he could see the hilts of two blades crossed over – what he assumed – the toad's back. Before he could further inspect it, a booming voice came from the Toad._

" _ **Jiraiya, where are you? How many times have I told you to only summon me in battle?**_ _" Said the rumbling voice of the green toad._

 _Taking this as a chance to make an appearance, Naruto hopped down to the snout, and with an application of chakra, he managed not to slip._

" _Toad-san, it was I who summoned you, not Jiraiya-sensei." Naruto stayed in a calm but firm tone. The Toad squinted it's golden eyes at the figure on its snout. It noticed the figure's blonde hair and dark attire._

" _ **Ho! You look like a young Minato-kun. Tell me boy, is he your father?**_ _" The toad inquired and at Naruto's nod, a smile spread across its lips. "_ _ **Well, it seems Gamabunta was right. Oh where are my manners, the name's Gamahiro.**_ _" The toad concluded in a boisterous and proud voice. Naruto smiled, he certainly seemed friendly._

" _Uzumaki Naruto. It's nice to meet you." Naruto offered with a slight upturn of his lips._

" _ **It's nice to meet you, young one.**_ _" The now identified Gamahiro exclaimed. "_ _ **Do not be afraid to summon me when you're in need. I'll always offer the same courtesy to all of the pervert's students.**_ _" Gamahiro said while crossing its arms._

" _Thank you, Gamahiro-san." Naruto nodded in thanks to the toad. It then glanced around and with a slightly powerful pull of air into its nose, it's eyes turned back to Naruto and gave a hearty laugh, moving one of its fingers to wipe a tear from its eyes._

" _ **It seems the pervert was here and he vacated the area thinking you would summon Gamabunta.**_ _" Naruto chuckled along with Gamahiro for a few moments longer. "_ _ **You'll get along with the rest of the family well, young one. Now, I must quickly return home. Farewell.**_ _" Gamahiro said with a small wave and puffed out of existence. Naruto, having had the foresight, had leapt to the tallest tree nearby._ That certainly was interesting. _Naruto mused to himself._

" _I hope the pervert didn't run off to the hot springs." Naruto shook his head in disappointment._

* * *

Having found his niche in Ninjutsu, Naruto had trained his three elements and had found quite a liking towards _Raitōn._ His skills with the lightning element were commendable – Jiraiya had seen only a few with such an aptitude towards the element in Hi no Kuni. Hatake Kakashi, his late student's pupil, was one of them.

So in order for Naruto to learn more jutsu from his favoured element, Jiraiya searched for Kakashi, only to find that he and his team had recently left on a mission to Nami no Kuni.

"Naruto." The boy perked up when his name was called. "How about a solo mission to Nami no Kuni? I suspect Kakashi and his brats will need help." Jiraiya said glancing towards the southern gates.

"I'll go pack immediately." Naruto said before disappearing via an electric _shunshin._

"Show-off." Jiraiya muttered as he also disappeared via a series of leaf _shunshin._ He reappeared outside the Hokage Tower. Then he leapt and ran up the walls to the open window behind the Hokage's desk. He leapt in and stood beside the Hokage.

"What is it you need, Jiraiya?" The Sandaime Hokage asked while jotting through the paperwork that was stacked on his desk. "As you can see, I'm quite busy at the moment." He said, dipping the brush he had been using into the ink bottle.

"Naruto will be here in a moment." Just as he finished that statement, a slightly electric body appeared in the middle of the room and immediately knelt.

"Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sensei." Naruto said before standing up at attention.

The Hokage merely raised an eyebrow at the slightly more professional – than usual – act his surrogate grandson was putting up.

"Sensei, I suspect that Team Seven will run into some trouble in Nami no Kuni. One of my spies informed me recently that the country had been overthrown by Gatō, the shipping magnate." Jiraiya spoke bleakly. "Gatō is also affiliated with some underworld figures and is a prominent figure in the black market. His company ships drugs, stolen treasures, _slaves_ and _prostitutes."_ He nearly spit out in disgust when he had been informed of this man's actions.

The Hokage's eyes narrowed darkly at what he was hearing. Such actions, even in the shinobi world, were greatly frowned upon. He glanced over at Naruto and saw the withering scowl marring his face.

The shinobi world was dark, Naruto knew this. It was this disgust and anger that had caused him to momentarily awaken the Rinnegan – in order to protect Ino from being felled by such. He had seen the sickeningly hungry look on Han's face. Hence he had acted.

"Permission to terminate this threat, Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked staring intently at the Sandaime.

Jiraiya nodded showing that he was fine with the request. He knew why Naruto felt the need to terminate Gatō. He too had felt it in the past – to terminate a despicable threat to society.

"Permission granted." The Hokage nodded grimly. A messenger hawk flew in and landed on his outstretched arm. He unfastened the note tied to its feet and read it for a few moments. He looked up to Naruto. "You're just in time too. Team Seven has requested immediate back up. It seems they battled the Demon Brothers, a B-ranked duo of nuke-nin from Kirigakure no Sato. This mission has been bumped to a high B-rank to low A-rank." Naruto nodded then bowed to his superiors.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." And he disappeared in a shock of lightning.

* * *

 **Shōsen no Jutsu – Mystic Palm Technique:** A-rank, Supplementary; The Mystical Palm Technique is a medical ninjutsu which allows the user to speed up the body's natural healing process by sending chakra from their hands into a wound or afflicted body part. This allows the user to heal a patient without the need for medical equipment or surgery, making it very useful on the battlefield. It can be used to treat both external and internal injuries. It is vital to match the amount of chakra used to the severity of the affliction or injury. This requires a great amount of chakra control, and because of this, only a few highly skilled medical-nin are able to use this technique. Kabuto Yakushi demonstrated the ability to use it a short distance away from the target instead of through direct contact.

 **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique:** B-rank, Supplementary; Similar to the basic Clone Technique, this technique creates copies of the user, however, these clones are corporeal instead of illusions. The user's chakra is evenly distributed among every clone, giving each clone an equal fraction of the user's overall power. The clones are capable of performing techniques on their own, including the Shadow Clone Technique itself, and can even bleed, but will usually disperse after hit by a strong enough force. The clones can also disperse on their own, or be dispelled by the user of the technique.

 **Gakidō – Preta Path:** The Preta Path grants the user the ability to absorb chakra in any form. This ability is primarily defensive in nature as it is capable of absorbing chakra from an individual through physical contact. In addition to this, the Preta Path is able to absorb ninjutsu-based techniques, thereby nullifying their effect. This is done by forming a barrier around the user's entire body, allowing them to absorb attacks from all directions. Although the ability is able to absorb Senjutsu chakra, the user is still vulnerable to the effects of turning into a stone statue from absorbing too much of it.

 **Kuchiyōse no Jutsu – Summoning Technique:** C-rank, Offensive; The Summoning Technique is a a high-level technique, which utilises space–time ninjutsu to transport animals or people across long distances instantly and uses blood as a sacrifice. Before an animal summoning can be performed, a prospective summoner must first sign a contract with a given contract comes in the form of a scroll, on which the contractor uses their own blood to sign their name and place their fingerprints and once signed it is valid even after the contractors death as long as the contract itself remains intact. After this, they need only offer an additional donation of blood on the hand they signed the contract with, mould their chakra with hand seals and then plant the hand they signed the contract with at the location they wish to summon the amount of chakra used during the summoning determines how powerful the summoned creature can be. It is possible for a summoner to summon a group of the same contracted animal, as opposed to a single individual.

 **Shunshin no Jutsu – Body Flicker Technique:** D-rank, Supplementary; It is a high-speed movement technique. By using the Body Flicker Technique, a ninja can move short to long distances at an almost untraceable an observer, it appears as if the user has teleported. It is accomplished by using chakra to temporarily vitalise the body and move at extreme speeds. The amount of chakra required depends on the overall distance and elevation between the user and the intended destination. A puff of smoke is occasionally used to disguise the user's movements. Other elements or substances can be used instead to distract the opponent: Konoha Shinobi utilise a Leaf Body Flicker.


	4. Wave I

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Kono Yo no Kyūseishu

Book II: Wave

" _No one is useless in this world who lightens up the burdens of another." – Charles Dickens_

* * *

A small toad glanced about at the changed scenery and then it began changing, its mouth widening. Once it's mouth had widened enough, a figure began slipping out of it.

Naruto stood tall and immediately scanned the area. It had been quite a while since he had been on land. His last views had been the south-eastern coast of Hi no Kuni, where he had begun to notice a slight decrease of land and the appearance trenches and streams which came from the sea which he had just crossed.

Glancing down to the toad which had half of its body emerging from the ocean, he nodded down to it.

"Thank you, Gamasensui." Naruto stated in a calm tone with a hint of a smile of appreciation on his face.

" **It's always a pleasure working with you, Naruto-sama.** " The identified diving toad, Gamasensui, croaked in excitement. Naruto sighed at the title it had used.

Ever since he had signed the Toad Contract, some of his summons had become adamant on calling him 'Naruto-sama' due to his apprenticeship to Jiraiya, as well as being Minato's son. His father had been highly respected at Mount Myōboku. Naruto waved his had and the toad croaked once more before diving into the sea – ironically as it's namesake.

Looking around the area he stood in, he admitted that it wasn't what he was expecting. The area seemed lush with flowers of various kinds, as well as some rare trees he had seen quite a few times in during the missions he went on with Jiraiya. Glancing up at the sky, the sun was still out just slightly dipping over the horizon, signalling that dusk was upon the area.

He began walking – slowly – indulging himself in the lush and pure nature that surrounded him. To his left, he spotted a few several bright yellow Hibiscuses and pure white lilies. To his right, some frangipani were blooming. Naruto paused and took in a deep breath.

This was what he enjoyed most – strolling through nature and appreciating it all the same. He had done this many a time during his childhood, before he had begun attending the Academy. He'd crawl over every nook and cranny of the forests around the Village as some form of entertainment – or better yet, _adventure._ He began walking again but at a faster pace. He had a mission after all.

A few minutes later he broke through the surrounding forest and found himself standing at the edge of a cliff. Below him, he saw numerous buildings in a gridded formation. Looking to his left, he saw a path which led straight down from the hill to the main street of the small town. Thinking mildly to himself, he decided to take on a _Henge_ of a dark haired boy with hazel eyes and simple civilian clothing.

Without the location of where Kakashi and his team might be, he decided to ask around for the whereabouts or home of their charge: Tazuna.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi was not amused.

Dinner had been going quite well, if one could ignore the insistent chattering of his pink-haired student. Then within minutes, their charges grandson – a young boy by the name of Inari – had come and interrupted them with his fatalistic views.

Although, in the boy's defence, he could pity him. For one so young to have grown under the tyrannical reign of Gatō, he could understand his views.

' _But we have lived more severe lives.'_ Kakashi thought grimly to himself.

Once they had arrived, they had been informed by Tsunami – Tazuna's daughter and Inari's mother – that there were several missing persons, whom most were females ranging from the ages of thirteen to twenty-five. It wasn't a secret that Gatō associated with the black market and sold slaves. _Prostitutes rather._

Shaking himself out of his dark thoughts, he noticed that Inari was screaming in Sakura's face while the girl merely looked to the side. That was when he sensed a presence approaching the house. His flinch was noticed by Sai, who subconsciously moved his right hand to the hilt of the tantō strapped across his back.

There was a knock yet again and silence suddenly invaded the room. Standing up and stalking the door slowly, Sai readied his tantō. Sasuke stood on side of the wall beside the door with a kunai in hand while Sai put his hand on the door handle. When the door clicked open, he slowly pulled it open.

Sai's grip on his tantō loosened as he closed his eyes, imitating his sensei's eye smiles.

"Uzumaki-san." He greeted in a tone that was meant to be jovial. Opposite Sai stood a slightly taller blonde haired boy who was garbed in black. His usually piercing blue eyes exuded a dull grey under the moonlight.

"Sai. Is Kakashi-sensei here?" Naruto inquired in his usual calm and collected tone. From where he stood, he could spot Sakura, a grey-haired old man and a little boy in a green jumpsuit.

"Yes." Sai said simply. Moving out of the way, allowing Naruto entry into the house.

"Dobe, what are you doing here? Can't you see we're on a mission?" Sasuke said in a rough tone. He had yet to put away his kunai.

Kakashi put down his book as he analysed the boy in front of them. His poise certainly was that of one confident in his skills. Although it may have seemed to border on arrogance, he knew the truth. Folding his book, he glanced up and met the boy's eyes.

"Naruto, it's good to have you here. I suppose you're the back up Hokage-sama sent?" Kakashi's bored voice cut across to the blonde haired boy. Naruto nodded. "Well, I suppose you'll have to do." Kakashi waved languidly. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise." Naruto responded stoically. He glanced to his left, where the rest of Team Seven had occupied space. "Haruno, Uchiha." He nodded to them then turned to the rest of the room's occupants.

He noticed that there was a teary-eyed woman standing by a doorframe which seemed to lead to the kitchen of the house. He looked directly at the old man who had a bottle of sake in his hand.

"You must be Tazuna-san. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." Naruto coolly said to the man of the house. Kakashi, noticing the slight terse greeting from Naruto, began speaking.

"Mou, Naruto, relax a little. Tazuna here is still our mission." Kakashi said, raising his hands in a short placating manner. "Our mission here is to protect him and his family, Tsunami-san and the kid over there, Inari."

Naruto glanced at Tsunami and Inari, offering slight smiles – one which Tsunami returned while Inari looked away. Naruto frowned slightly but it was gone the next moment.

"I take it the mission didn't go so well." Naruto said, glancing at Sasuke's left arm which seemed to be bandaged from the shoulder down to the wrist. He had noticed the healing cut across Sai's cheek as well.

"No. A day into our travels, we came across the Oni Kyōdai – Gōzu and Meizu – B-ranked duo of nuke-nin from Kirigakure no Sato. We managed to apprehend them." Naruto nodded at that. He had been the one to send them back to the Village with a pair of clones. "The following morning, after crossing the sea, we fought Momochi Zabuza, the Kirigakure no Kijin and former member of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū."

Naruto's eyes widened a fraction. Momochi Zabuza has quite a fearsome reputation in the shinobi world. Nothing short of a high A-rank shinobi of Kakashi's caliber could match that man. He was known as a Demon for a reason.

"He caught me in a Suirō no Jutsu, but with teamwork, Sasuke and Sai managed to trick him and set me free." Kakashi said with pride in his voice. This was what he had been teaching them all this time – to value teamwork. Naruto merely raised an eyebrow when he noticed Sasuke puff his chest slightly. "After that, we had a short battle of _Sūiton_ jutsu – which I won – and managed to defeat him. When I was about to go for the kill, a oi-nin appeared and took his body away." Kakashi frowned at the end of his statement. The fact that the oi-nin had taken the body irked him because that wasn't their usual procedure – well, oi-nin from Konoha that is.

"Zabuza's not dead." Sai stated simply. Sakura and Tazuna gasped loudly while Kakashi held a questioning gleam in his eye. "I've read that oi-nin destroy the bodies of missing-nin on the spot after decapitating their heads as proof." Sai concluded, having said his piece.

"Then that means he has an accomplice." Naruto said to which Sai acknowledged. The both turned to Kakashi who seemed have concluded his internal debate.

"Tomorrow at dawn I'll be expecting everyone of you outside. We'll need every bit of training we can get." Kakashi's face – the only visible part of it – was unreadable. "We will begin working on chakra control." He concluded with a nod.

Naruto's lips slightly parted in surprise. His eyes moved quickly to the rest of Team Seven who seemed to be interested in this piece of training. Closing his mouth, he looked directly at their sensei.

"Kakashi. What have you been teaching them for the past two months? Chakra control is taught during the _first weeks_ of being Genin." Naruto said sternly, his expression one of bemusement.

Kakashi had the audacity to look ashamed at the notion. His students were wide-eyed at what they had just been informed.

"I forgot…?" Kakashi began while scratching the back of his neck. "So I take it that you know the exercise, Naruto." He asked becoming somewhat more serious.

"Of course." Naruto responded as quickly as he could. It had been something he learnt quite sometime before becoming a Genin after all.

"Then you wouldn't mind taking guard duty for the time being?" Kakashi said while glancing at Tazuna. Naruto shook his head in response. "Perfect. Team Seven, I'll begin training you in chakra control."

"If the dobe can do it, then I'll get it down in no time." Sasuke said, an arrogant smirk spreading on his face.

"Yeah! Sasuke-kun is so much better than you, Naruto-baka!" Sakura screeched out in support of her crush. As she was about to continue but Naruto didn't even spare her a glance.

"Very well." Naruto turned to Tsunami with a small smile on his lips. "Tsunami-san, is there anywhere I can rest for the night? I must I'm quite exhausted from traveling for two days straight." He asked politely. Tsunami beamed at his manners and turned to Inari, then back to him.

"Of course. Inari won't mind sharing his room with you, right Inari?" She said while looking at her son. The boy mumbled some incoherent words which slightly disheartened her. Then the boy stood up and turned to Naruto.

"Come on." He grumbled out to him. Naruto turned to Tsunami and bowed slightly. And turned to Tazuna, repeating the same action.

"Thank you for your hospitality." Naruto said and quickly followed the little boy.

"Quite the formal kid you have there, Sensei." Tazuna mumbled to Kakashi. His words had begun to slur from the consumption of sake he'd been having the entire evening.

"Yes, I suppose that is the case, huh?" Kakashi hummed in agreement.

* * *

Naruto followed Inari as he led him up the stairs. The house seemed to have five bedrooms – two on both sides and one down the hallway. The doors were simple crafts – probably hand-made by Tazuna himself. The man seemed to be gifted in carpentry if that bridge he was building was anything to go by. That one truly was a marvellous piece of work.

Inari turned to the second door to the right and pushed it open. Walking in to the room, the boy flipped on the switch and the room was suddenly illuminated in translucent globe from the middle of the room, casting shadows into various crevices of the room. The room was quite small – in comparison to his – but simple. The bed was against the left wall, which had a window that had a pretty scenic view. Moving towards it, Naruto could see the dimming lights of the townhouses and the sea in the horizon.

Naruto turned from the window as he regarded the rest of the room with a critical eye. On the wall beside Inari's bed stood a small cupboard on top of which Naruto could see a picture frame. He recognised Inari, Tsunami and Tazuna, although there was another man in a dark blue kimono top, who seemed to be in his early thirties.

Inari had gone to the wardrobe opposite his bed and pulled out a futon. Turning to Naruto, he gave him the bedroll and pointed to the other side of the room.

"You can sleep over there." Inari said simply. Then he turned and began stripping out of his pyjamas while Naruto set up his futon.

Having finished up the setup, he detached his blade's hilt from the brown belt from which it was clasped on. He put the blade right beside his futon. He then took off his jacket and folded it beside his backpack – right at the corner of the room. He clipped open the straps and unzipped the armor he wore and removed the mesh armor as well. Once he was done, he switched off the lights.

The weather in Nami no Kuni was quite humid in comparison to the autumn winds of Hi no Kuni. He laid on the futon after taking off his sandals and glanced towards Inari, only to find the boy snoring in his sleep. He then laid on his back and stared at the ceiling. The moonlight was just peaking through the window, reflecting off the mirror beside the wardrobe, illuminating the room in light silver. But Naruto didn't notice much of it as he was lost in his thoughts.

' _From the information Jiraiya-sensei gave me, Zabuza is followed by a small group of shinobi which includes the Oni Kyōdai. If our assumptions are correct, then the fake oi-nin is part of the group. Although…we don't know how many of them they are in that group.'_ Naruto thought to himself. Being the apprentice of a spymaster had its perks. Jiraiya was slowly including and teaching him the ropes of this kind of business. Naruto smirked. He already had much information about this mission and certain people within it.

Covering himself up with a light blanket, he turned to the side and dozed of almost immediately.

* * *

The following days after Naruto's arrival had been going quite well. Naruto had been right about his assessment; Tazuna really was a master in his line of work.

The first morning after his arrival, he had taken guard and accompanied Tazuna to the bridge. They arrived there and were welcomed by the other workers – it seemed that Tazuna hadn't gone there since he left for Konoha. There were over a dozen or two workers at the bridge whom were handling various tasks at Tazuna's orders.

Naruto had been impressed by the ethic of these men who were fighting for a freedom that seemed forfeit under the tyrannical rule of Gatō. He had then offered to assist by creating a dozen _Kage Bunshin,_ which Tazuna had cheerfully accepted.

The man had then begun regaling him with tales of his youth, the ventures he had taken alongside his father as they traveled the Elemental Nations before finally settling in Nami no Kuni. It was from those people he met during his travels that had assisted him thus far with the necessary materials to build this bridge. These, with his own materials, caused an excess of architectural material that Gatō had sought to destroy.

Due to the first attempt being a failure, Tazuna and the rest of the workers had decided to his some of the material in various places across the island just in case Gatō managed to destroy more of their material. Tazuna had also told him of Gatō's _side jobs_ of smuggling contraband, trafficking of drugs, sending his mercenaries and ronin to kidnap women and children in order to make or sell as workers or sex slaves off of them. There had been several cases of people going missing or being killed since Gatō arrived, a few being close to Tazuna and his family.

Kaiza – the name of the man he had seen on the photograph in Inari's room – had been on of those killed for standing up against Gatō.

He had been beheaded in front of the entire country.

Naruto had darkly stated his intentions to bring an end to this tyrannical reign, to which – surprisingly – Tazuna had accepted with equal vigour. It seems the people of Nami no Kuni wanted Gatō's reign to end with his death – a public one if possible.

Other than that day, things had gone quite smoothly. There had been no threats or appearances of Gatō's minions – possibly having been notified of the shinobi protecting Tazuna.

Kakashi had informed Naruto and his team about Zabuza. It seems that the oi-nin had used senbon to incapacitate Zabuza and put him in a deathlike state which lowered his heartbeat and breathing to unnoticeable rates. The time it took to recover from such an attack – including the wounds he had acquired during the battle – would be at the least a week. Considering that Naruto had arrived two days after the encounter – which was three days ago – they had at least two more days before Zabuza and his accomplice attacked.

Naruto had asked about the physical description of the fake oi-nin. The oi-nin has been garbed in a standard Kirigakure pinstriped outfit which reached his knees, a green haori and a brown sash with a fringed tail around the waist. The oi-nin seemed to be around Naruto's height – considering that Naruto was taller than most of his peers, slightly over Sasuke too – and had a slim figure. The oi-nin also had long black hair with two locks – bound by metal cuffs – framing their masked face. It was still unclear whether the fake oi-nin was male or female.

Naruto nodded at the information. It seemed the only known about this accomplice was that they were very skilled in the usage of senbon. This one would be an ideal opponent for him or Sasuke – assuming that he had acquired his Sharingan. Kakashi then made precautionary plans; Sai and Sakura would protect Tazuna, while Naruto and Sasuke battled the accomplice and he dealt with Zabuza.

Turning back to the table he was seated at, he was knocked out of his thoughts when Tsunami began dishing out dinner. They were having rice balls, miso soup and sliced fish – _again._ Although Naruto couldn't blame her. The Village was really low of various types of foods due to their lack of trades with other countries. Even the stores had the barest minimum of foods, if one could afford their outrageous prices that is. Once everyone had settled at the table, they all said a short prayer.

"Itadakimasu!" They all chorused before they began eating. Although the food stocks were quite low, Naruto could attest that Tsunami was an amazing cook. Tazuna and Inari were really blessed to have a woman like her in their lives. Talking about the boy, Naruto glanced around and eventually turned to Tsunami.

"Tsunami-san, where is Inari?" Naruto asked looking questioningly at the woman. He hadn't seen Inari since the previous night when the boy had left the room at midnight to go up and sit at the roof.

Tsunami looked down sadly and turned to the stairs that led to the rooms, as well at the attic.

"Inari has been on the roof since late in the afternoon." She responded dolefully. Her son really worried her with the behaviour he had been conveying as of late. It seems that the Konoha shinobi's arrival had sparked some hope in him but the past memories of the last hero squashed them almost immediately.

Naruto nodded solemnly. The boy really had suffered quite a bit in his life and he could understand it. Naruto continued eating his meal, ignoring the chattering Haruno and groans of irritation coming from the Uchiha. The amicable atmosphere was ruined by Inari when he walked in and shouted.

"Why do you even bother? You're all gonna die anyway!" Inari started, his perpetual scowl deepening by the minute. He stood on the last stair, a position where everyone could see him. "No matter how hard you train, you're still no match for Gatō's men! No matter what glorious claims you make, the weak will only end up getting killed!" He screamed the last part, his face turning a fair shade of pink.

"So you're weak? Sorry for you then." Naruto said while calmly putting down the chopsticks he had been using to eat. "I know you don't believe in heroes, which is quite sad to me, but don't you dare call me weak." Naruto concluded with a firm gaze.

"You act so high and mighty, thinking that you're better than the rest of us! You've probably been sheltered all your life and you've never suffered a day in it!" Inari screamed out, his anger bleeding into his words. His body was shaking in fury and his vision was beginning to blur – tears, he thought to himself.

"Shut up." Came a voice colder than he had ever heard.

Wiping his eyes he glanced at the person and froze. Those brilliant blue eyes he had grown accustomed to seeing for the past few days were gone. In those eye sockets, those blue eyes had become a dull stormy grey. A tempest stronger than the ones from his grandfather's tales.

The atmosphere in the room had become so tense that the silence could be cut through with a knife. Everyone was staring, in shock – and slight fear – at Naruto who seemed to exude an oppressive presence.

"You don't know what real suffering is." Naruto began, his voice never losing its edge. "At least you still have people left. You're not the only one who lost someone when Kaiza was killed." Inari looked in fear at the increase of tone from Naruto.

"Look at me." Naruto stated harshly and Inari, in his shock, jerked up and met Naruto's stormy greys. "Everyone of us in this room has suffered one way or another, so don't you ever dare act like some main character of a tragedy." Naruto concluded sternly and immediately stood up and turned to Tazuna and Tsunami and bowed to them while Inari ran out of the room crying.

"I apologise if I came off as rude but I believe that Inari has to understand that he isn't the only one suffering under Gatō's tyranny." Naruto said, standing tall with his head dipped slightly. He noticed that a few tears were flowing down Tsunami's face while Tazuna looked on solemnly. He glanced up at Naruto and nodded to him.

Naruto then turned to Kakashi and fixed a gaze with the one-eyed shinobi. Kakashi stares back for a few moments before he nodded.

"Be careful." Kakashi said stolidly. Naruto stoically nodded at him and walked out of the house.

* * *

The remaining occupants felt the tense atmosphere disperse slowly after Kakashi sighed and rubbed his temple. The members of Team Seven – specifically Sasuke and Sai – seemed to have withdrawn into themselves if the despondent look on Sasuke and stolid expression Sai gave off was anything to go by.

"Kakashi-san, it seems to me that Naruto seems to have a troubled past." Tazuna began, tilting his head aside as he chucked a bottle sake to his lips. Letting the acidic liquid flow into his body, he let out a sigh. Kakashi glanced around at the remaining occupants, as if to test their trustworthiness.

"Naruto had a troubled childhood." Kakashi began, his left hand shifting his hitai-ate – a habit he hadn't let go even after all his years in ANBU. "He grew up alone – no family and no relatives. The only one who seemed to care for him all his life was the Hokage and even he could do only so much with the weight his duty gives him." Kakashi spoke in a soft and solemn tone. Tazuna and Tsunami gasped audibly at what they had been told.

Sai shifted in his seat causing Sasuke to glance at him. He ignored the look as he delved into his thoughts. He was aware that Naruto never had anyone to care for him, they had been in the same Orphanage for a few years until Naruto had disappeared. They were only four years old then.

"So you mean Naruto has had no one besides the Hokage his entire life?!" The shock in Tsunami's voice was clear. Even Sakura seemed to be stumped at the notion.

"Up until recently? No. It's only been the Hokage and a few others, including the Hokage's son and grandson." Kakashi concluded dejectedly. Naruto wouldn't be pleased if he revealed the names of these people. It was a matter of a risk of security.

The room once again became deathly quiet as everyone was lost in their own thoughts and anguish. Kakashi glanced out the window towards where he could sense Naruto's chakra signature was.

' _I hope you forgive me, Naruto.'_ He thought bleakly to himself.

* * *

Naruto had been out for the past three hours. He stood in the middle – the only part untouched – of the destructed area. Trees had fallen, cut or blasted into shards. The earth had been torn through creating gorges and troughs all over a hundred meter radius.

Naruto stood surveying the area as if in search of something and brought up his sword horizontally in time to block the overhead slash which had come from his opponent. The moment he had blocked the slash, his opponent gave a double footed kick to his chest which caused him to stumble back.

Sensing another presence, he balanced himself and performed an acrobatic backflip from the leg sweep which could have left him flat on the ground – open. With a show of dexterity, he spun on his arms and landed a high kick on his second opponent's chin. The figure shot through the air while Naruto crouched and sped through hand signs.

" _Raitōn: Gian!"_ Naruto intoned as a lightning chakra directed to his mouth and a small sparks started to appear. With swift movement, he leaned back – coalescing the lightning chakra in his mouth – then shot out the spear to the descending opponent. There was a puff of smoke and Naruto dodged to the left. Glancing up, he noticed shattered wood falling to the ground in clatters.

' _Kawarimi?'_ He thought to himself as he reached for his blade which had been lying on the ground. Just in time to push away the stabbing sword coming for him. The sword managed to cut yet another tear in his jacket but he paid it no mind as he took advantage of his opponent's imbalance.

He added wind chakra to his blade and slashed diagonally at his opponent, who disappeared in a puff of smoke.

' _One more to go.'_ He thought to himself. Activating his Sharingan, he glanced around in search of the last of his _Kage Bunshin –_ the one who had escaped his _Gian_ with a _Kawarimi._ He was forced to leap away whilst covering his face from the jutsu being used on him.

" _Fūton: Reppushō!"_ He faintly heard the _Kage Bunshin_ shout out its technique. More tears wear beginning to appear on his protective clothing. If this carried on, the rest of his body would resemble his hands – with numerous small cuts. In retrospect, he should have followed his initial plans of gloves being part of his shinobi attire. Forming a hand seal, Naruto replaces himself with a log.

The _Kage Bunshin_ scanned the area in search of Naruto but leapt away moments before the bark it was previously standing on burnt to ash. Adding another seal to the original technique, Naruto fired several more head-sized fireballs.

" _Katōn: Hōsenka!"_ Naruto commanded in thought. This jutsu was one of the most versatile of the fire element. One skilled user could send out various sized fireballs – from the size of a fist to the size of a normal _Gōkakyū._

Naruto continued firing several more fireballs until his _Kage Bunshin_ snapped the branch it stood on and began free falling to a small fireball, puffing it out of existence.

Naruto released the tiger seal he had been holding. Breathing in and out, he managed to calm the adrenaline flowing through his body. He began walking forward but he stumbled in his steps. His breathing was laboured and his body was aching from the three hour battle with two _Kyōka Kage Bunshin._

Naruto powered through the exhaustion. He was tired both physically and mentally. Inari's outburst had brought back quite some unpleasant memories. Naruto slowly waddled out of the perimeter of the destroyed field. As he stepped onto the clearer area, he made a half tiger hand seal.

" _Fuinjutsu: Heimen Kaikaku."_ He mumbled out. The once destructed clearing returned to its former pristine form within minutes. Naruto had sat down to watch the clearing reform. This specific fuinjutsu never ceases to amaze him – a testament of his father's skill. The jutsu reverse the physical state of a specified area through a four-cornered seal. Naruto himself still couldn't understand the technicalities of the jutsu but he was getting there.

Naruto eased his mind of all his thoughts and lied on his back. Staring up at the night sky, he could spot the infinite stars that spread across the cosmos. As he was closing his eyes, his mind trailed back to one of his strongest memories.

* * *

 _A young Naruto was seating around a campfire, with a stick of grilled fish in his hand. He was looking up at the twinkling stars with the old man he had come across that evening._

 _Glancing to his right, he saw the old man with a serene smile on his wrinkled face, gazing up at the countless stars as he had been doing a moment ago._

" _Each one of those stars is like our world's sun." He began, his serene smile never fading. "Yes. This world is boundless."_

 _Naruto turned to the old man once again, a small grin spreading on his lips, his white teeth glistening under the moonlight._

" _Yeah? You sure know a lot, gramps!" His chipper voice spreading around the small clearing. The old man turned and moved his towards Naruto's own while squinting the entire time. Noticing Naruto back away shyly, he jumped backwards, spreading his arms for emphasis._

" _Compared to the vastness of the world, man's existence is very insignificant." The old man exclaimed but paused for a moment._

 _A loud rumble resounded in the area and both man and child blinked at each other. Then suddenly, the boy smiled and started giggling. Next thing he was fully and wholly laughing as the old man joined him._

* * *

Kakashi walked down the stairs leading to the dining room. At the table he saw that everyone was present except for Naruto.

"Good morning." Kakashi said as he took a seat beside Tazuna.

"Good morning Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed in a lively tone. It seemed that last night's somber mood had been all but forgotten. Sasuke had just acknowledged his presence with his signature groan while Sai had smiled at him with one of his strange smiles – which never reflected in his eyes.

"Good morning Kakashi-san." Tsunami responded to Kakashi. He responded by giving her one of his customary eye smiles.

"Has Naruto returned since he left last night?" Kakashi inquired. Everyone glanced at each other before finally turning to Naruto's sole roommate. The boy squirmed in his seat in discomfort of all the attention being on him. He eventually lost a losing battle and spoke.

"I haven't seen him since last night too…" Inari finally folded to the tension. He looked up and noticed the slight look of worry on his mother's face as she vocalised her worries.

"Will be okay, Kakashi-san?" She asked, her left hand covering her right fist as she had propped up her arms towards her chin.

"Mou, don't worry about him. If he runs into trouble, I'm sure he can take care of himself." Kakashi responded coyly. He even eye-smiled at Tsunami – for good measure.

"Do you really think so?" Inari said in a soft voice, one the team had never heard come from him. Naruto's words had struck a few chords and he was willing to give someone else a chance – a chance to validate the existence of heroes.

"I know so." Kakashi responded while nonchalantly pulling out his novel and flicking through the pages to the last one he had read. "Besides, Naruto does have something to prove." He concluded evasively.

Inari stared at the door for a few moments, hoping that the one he had deemed worthy to take the chance to be a hero, walks in.

* * *

Early the next morning, Naruto sensed the presence of two people within his vicinity. Opting to pretend as though he was still sleeping, he listened to them converse.

"Must we wake him up?" Said a soft voice that – without the deeper edge to it – would have sounded more feminine. There was a bit of shuffling as, crouching next to the one who had spoken before.

"I don't know. He seems to be a shinobi so he might retaliate." Said a calmer but deep voice. There was more shuffling as the owner of the second voice stood up. "Let's leave him be. He must have already heard us by now if he's competent enough." The deeper voice carried on with a slight uncaring edge.

"I'm going to wake him up." Said the softer voice and a shuffling of clothing signalled more movement. The next moment, Naruto felt a soft hand grasp his shoulder and shake him awake.

Under his intended pretence, he blinked his eyes open – also attempting to adjust to the vision around him. Looking up at the person who had shaken him up, he acted surprised. The person who was moving to stand before him fitted quite perfectly the profile of the fake oi-nin who had escaped with Zabuza.

The person was garbed in a pink, sleeveless kimono, with pale red edges and decorated in plum-coloured swirls. Around his waist, Naruto noticed a white obi tied around it. The boy also wore light brown sandals with straps.

"Uhm, hello?" Naruto began in slight surprise. The boy – as he had noticed the lack of chest bindings – in front of him was quite beautiful, prettier than most girls he knew. The boy's brown eyes regarded him for a few moments before glowing slightly.

"Oh, sorry about that. My friend and I were just walking through this flowerbed when we came across you. I believed that should you stay out any longer, you might catch some illness." Said the boy in his soft voice. He had turned to the side, his long black hair swaying in the wind.

Naruto took this short opportunity to stand up straight and dust himself before – if possible – having to escape from these shinobi. After he had finished dusting himself, he looked to the figure which was still leaning against a tree a little ways away from them.

The dark haired boy beckoned him to come forth, to which the other boy sighed. He walked forward and in a few moments, he stood tall – taller than both him and the dark haired boy. The boy had pale skin – a tad lighter than Sasuke's. His vivid green eyes were calmly analysing Naruto while his shoulder length silvery-white hair swayed slightly in the morning breeze.

He was garbed in a light lavender loose-fitting, long-sleeved, zip-up shirt and blank pants cut off around his mid-calf and traditional sandals. His left hand was on his hip, slowly fingering the purple obi tied around his waist as he glanced between the dark haired boy and Naruto himself. Blinking away his surprise – yet again – Naruto began speaking.

"I apologise for worrying you during your morning stroll." Naruto said furtively. He glanced at the dark haired boy. He had noticed the inscrutable look in the silver haired boy's eyes.

"Don't worry, it's of no consequence." The dark haired boy responded with slight cheer. "What had you been out so early, if you don't mind me asking?" The boy said, inquiring for more.

"I've actually been out here since last night. I must have fallen asleep somewhere in-between." Naruto said blithely, rubbing the back of his neck – he certainly hadn't felt abashed in the presence of strangers in quite some time now. "But I'm fine. Are you two from here, in Nami no Kuni?" Naruto inquired, although he suspected otherwise.

"Not exactly but we've been here for a while visiting a sick friend. So this morning we decided to search for some medicinal herbs which are located in this area." The dark haired responded informatively. That seemed to be a convincing story.

"Not to be rude or anything, but I believe you both have names. It would be quite wrong for my mind to carry on referring to either of you by the colours of your hair." Naruto said, a small smirk laying on his lips.

"Names are powerful." Came the calm and stern voice of the white haired boy. "Besides, isn't it common courtesy to offer yours before asking for one's name?" The boy concluded with a slight raise of an eyebrow – amusement then, Naruto realised. The two red dots on between his eyebrows moving along as well.

"My apologies. Naruto." He said as he watched the two boys glance at each other for a few moments before slightly nodding to each other.

"Haku." Said the dark haired, feminine looking boy. A small smile gracing his lips.

"Kimimaro." Said the pale silver haired boy in a firm and proud tone.

Immediately, a breeze rustled the leaves around them and the birds tweeted and sung their melodious songs. The faint sound of the ocean waves crashing onto man-made creations as well as the land Kami had graced humanity.

Indeed, names are powerful enough to cause a change in nature and of fates of certain individuals.

* * *

 **Kuchiyōse no Jutsu – Summoning Technique:** C-rank, Offensive-Defensive-Supplementary; The Summoning Technique is a a high-level technique, which utilises space–time ninjutsu to transport animals or people across long distances instantly and uses blood as a sacrifice. Before an animal summoning can be performed, a prospective summoner must first sign a contract with a given species. The contract comes in the form of a scroll, on which the contractor uses their own blood to sign their name and place their fingerprints and once signed it is valid even after the contractors death as long as the contract itself remains intact. After this, they need only offer an additional donation of blood on the hand they signed the contract with, mould their chakra with hand seals and then plant the hand they signed the contract with at the location they wish to summon the creature. The amount of chakra used during the summoning determines how powerful the summoned creature can be. It is possible for a summoner to summon a group of the same contracted animal, as opposed to a single individual.

 **Henge – Transformation Technique:** E-rank, Supplementary; Given all the missions ninja are assigned to - battle, intelligence gathering, diversions - this is a priceless ninjutsu. It is typically used to change into people other than oneself, but one also has the ability to change into animals, plants, and even inanimate objects like weapons. This gives this technique an abundance of uses. The transformation of a skilled shinobi will be exactly like the genuine article, so it will be impossible to tell the two apart. On the other hand, a transformation performed by an inexperienced person will have obvious discrepancies. It will be impossible to deceive anyone with it. This is one of the most basic ninjutsu, as such most shinobi know how to perform it.

 **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique:** B-rank, Supplementary; Similar to the basic Clone Technique, this technique creates copies of the user, however, these clones are corporeal instead of illusions. The user's chakra is evenly distributed among every clone, giving each clone an equal fraction of the user's overall power. The clones are capable of performing techniques on their own, including the Shadow Clone Technique itself, and can even bleed, but will usually disperse after hit by a strong enough force. The clones can also disperse on their own, or be dispelled by the user of the technique.

 **Raitōn: Gian – Lightning Release: False Darkness:** B-rank, Offensive; The user emits lightning in the shape of a spear from its mouth, which then pierces the enemy. Its destructive power is great enough to even pierce through rock; meaning it has am high killing potential. The user can increase the number of spears to attack multiple enemies. This, coupled with the sheer speed of the lightning, makes it a difficult technique to evade. This technique is capable of being focused into a straight beam, similar to a laser.

 **Kawarimi no Jutsu – Body Replacement Technique:** E-rank, Supplementary; With this technique, users replace their own body with some other object, generally with a block of wood, the moment an attack lands. This creates an optical illusion, making the enemy think the attack was successful. From this, the user can use the lapse in the enemy's attention to attack or flee from the battlefield. Explosive tags can be attached to the replacement for an added surprise. Despite it being a basic ninjutsu taught at the Academy, it is seen as a useful art that can be applied in variety of situations as it allows for a swift getaway from danger. The technique even allows a restrained shinobi to escape capture.

 **Fūton: Reppūshō – Wind Release: Gale Palm:** C-rank, Offensive-Supplementary; A Wind Release technique where the user either increases their velocity, or by the user clasping their hands together, wind is compressed and transformed into a powerful gale, which has enough force to knock over a person. When used in conjunction with shuriken or kunai, the tools become more lethal as their speed is increased.

 **Katōn: Hōsenka – Fire Release: Phoenix Flower:** C-rank, Offensive; This technique creates a volley of small fireballs, which are sent flying in an unpredictable manner to assault the enemy. The flames are controlled individually with chakra, so avoiding them all is very difficult. Shuriken can also be concealed within the flames, creating an unexpected secondary surprise attack.


	5. Wave II

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Kono Yo no Kyūseishu

" _Obi-Wan Kenobi once said: 'Your eyes can deceive you, don't trust them.' It seems to be getting harder. Distinguishing reality from the illusions people make for us or from those we make for ourselves. I don't know, maybe that's part of the plan; To make me think I'm crazy...it's working." – 'Huey Freeman'_

* * *

The wind bustled and leaves floated around the field in which the three boys were located in. The lush greenery was gleaming under the morning sun, the dew melting away to nourish further the soil below it.

"Hmm." Naruto hummed to himself. "Those are quite some strange names." Musing to himself offhandedly, he missed the growing smirk on Kimimaro's lips.

"Much better than 'Fishcake'." He said in an amused tone. Haku, who was standing beside him, started to chuckle at Naruto's slight sour expression.

"It means 'MAELSTROM', not fishcake." Naruto said exaggeratedly, further emphasising his point whipping his arms wide open, as though to imitate the suddenness of a maelstrom. Although as he did that, he noticed the slight tensing of his new acquaintances. _Shinobi then._

"Well…" Haku began, staring bewilderedly at the blonde boy. "That certainly is interesting." Although the amused smile never left his face.

Naruto stood upright and calmed himself from his most recent outburst – he had always been sensitive about his name. Although he hoped – prayed – that his mother and father hadn't named him after a ramen topping.

"So I take it you haven't been in Nami no Kuni for long?" Naruto began, glancing at the two older boys. They seemed to be around the ages of fourteen and fifteen – Kimimaro obviously being the eldest amongst them.

"No." Kimimaro started calmly. "We only arrived here a few weeks back. Although, I am beginning to regret it."

He truly did. Both him and Haku despised being in such a dark and gloomy place. It always reminded them of their not-so-pleasant pasts.

"Gatō really ruined this place." Naruto said sullenly. He had gone through the main part of Nami no Kuni when he had first arrived on the island. It wasn't pretty. People constantly lived in fear and despair all because of the actions caused by one man and his army.

Naruto noticed Haku nod in agreement. _It seems as though even they do hate state of this place. There might be hope in these two._ Naruto thought to himself.

"Are you a shinobi, Naruto-san?" Haku asked in curiosity, tilting his head slightly to the left. "I do recognise that symbol on your hitai-ate. Are you from Konohagakure no Sato?" His eyes were firmly fixed on Naruto as he went to respond.

"Yes. I recently became a shinobi although I'm not really that strong." Naruto responded blithely.

Kimimaro's eyes narrowed a minuscule fraction when he heard Naruto's response. He had taken a second too long to reply after he had agreed that he indeed is a shinobi. _A lie._

"Well, I believe that with the right intentions, you can be strong. Naruto-san, what do you fight for?" Haku asked, his brown does staring directly and intently at Naruto's arctic blues.

Naruto was taken aback. He wasn't expecting a question of that magnitude. Haku seemed like an insightful person – one who would never act without perfect reasoning. He thought of his answer for a few moments.

His answer was so simple but yet so impactful in his life. His godfather had really inspired him to aim high, higher than the heavens if he wanted change in his life and that of many others.

"Peace." Naruto started softly. Forgetting that he was still amongst supposed enemies, he looked up to the sky.

His sharp eyes could peak through the foliage that covered the area, and from his angle, he could see birds flying high in the sky. In their formations, he wondered whether everything in the universe was systematically controlled by some unseeable deity or being.

He smiled serenely. Maybe Kami does exist after all.

Looking from the sky and back to his new acquaintances, he could see the looks of astonishment and wonder in their eyes. Haku's eyes had widened quite marginally, his effeminate features coming into play.

"When a person…has something important they want to protect…that's when they truly become _strong._ " Haku's voice soared across the small field searchingly to Naruto's ears, as though he was the physical manifestation of the motto.

Haku gazed mildly at the boy in front of them. Naruto intrigued him, and he was certain that Kimimaro was intrigued as well. The words he had said earlier had been passed down to him by his mother, before her untimely death. She had told him that it was the way of the Yuki Clan – protecting others before themselves. It was because of this motto that he stood where he was now – alive – whereas his mother had lost her life.

"That is indeed a motto I can live by as well." Naruto said with awe tinging his voice. The motto was so similar to his own nindō that it was frightening.

"So you do understand our situation?" Kimimaro's deep voice cut through the serene moment. His eyes had narrowed quite visibly and his body wasn't as relaxed as it had been earlier. Naruto frowned slightly but nodded in agreement.

"I understand." He stated firmly while glancing at both boys. Eventually he sighed in defeat – so it had come to this. "I wish we could have met under different circumstances." He said softly, his usually cool eyes portraying his despondency.

"So do we." Haku responded softly, his right hand moving to the rectangular pouch attached to his obi.

Kimimaro had stood upright, his arms still hanging motionlessly by his sides. Although his posture was cold and calculative, his eyes exuded wariness and a slight unpleasant look.

Naruto noticed Kimimaro's expression and Haku's pleading eyes, then nodded. As quickly as he could, he held up half a hand seal and felt his body displace. The last thing he saw were three senbon flying towards his neck.

Before they hit, he vanished.

* * *

His senbon cut through air and stabbed into the tree which Naruto had been standing in front of the entire time during their conversation.

Sighing to himself, Haku walked forward, and with an application of chakra to his fingers, pulled the senbon out of the tree's bark. Putting them back into his pouch, he turned around and found Kimimaro looking towards him searchingly.

Kimimaro could see that his friend was upset. The entire situation was upsetting to both of them, but their duty came first. And their loyalty was to their master.

"We must inform Zabuza-sama of him." His deep baritone rumbled in his throat. Puberty was such a strange experience to him. His voice, at times, would crack in-between the baritone and his youthful tenor. Luckily, thanks to his bloodline, he hadn't the experience of growing pimples on his delicate skin – the same could be said for his friend.

"I know." Haku responded sullenly. The blonde boy – Naruto – was an enigma. One moment he seemed to be a proper and focused shinobi, and the next he seemed to throw a tantrum befitting of a child.

"He's quite strong." Kimimaro said while gazing sideways at the flower beds around the field. "I also do not want to report him but we _must._ "

Haku grimaced at the emphasis Kimimaro had made. The life of an orphan truly was never an easy one, especially for both him and Kimimaro. Zabuza was very vicious.

"Let's search for the herbs and return before he wakes up again." Haku said stiffly. Kimimaro winced almost unnoticeably and moved to scratch the seal between his neck and collarbone. He eventually nodded and began walking towards Haku. Within moments, the walked out of the field.

Zabuza truly was a fearful man.

* * *

Naruto suddenly appeared a little ways away from where Team Seven trained in their chakra control. After he regained his bearings from his abrupt _shunshin,_ he glanced around, and after checking his immediate area, he sped through hand seals.

" _Kuchiyōse."_ With a puff of smoke, a small toad appeared. It was orange in colour with purple markings on its head. It was also wearing a navy blue, short-sleeved haori. The toad glanced about before looking up at its summoner.

" **Yo, Naruto!** " The toad croaked ecstatically. It held up two fingers in a 'peace' sign. " **What's up?** " It croaked again. Naruto crouched and held out a fist. The toad bumped its own with his.

"Gamakichi, I need a small favour from you." Naruto said, a smile spreading on his lips. "I need you to deliver a message for me to the pervert, and by extension, Hokage-sama." Gamakichi narrowed his eyes and then folded his arms indignantly, turning his head to the side.

" **No ways, bro! I'm not a messenger toad.** " Gamakichi croaked aloud. " **Couldn't you have summoned Kouta for this?** " He asked, his thick eyebrows forming a frown.

"Kouta asked me to summon him only when it's an emergency." A small grin played on Naruto's lips. "Besides, you need to work a little. You're getting fat."

The small toad in front of him turned red and began sputtering in indignation. Gamakichi glanced down at his belly; those sweets he'd been stealing from Gamatatsu were starting to show their effects on him. Sighing, he raised his arms and waved them defeatedly.

" **Okay, okay! I'll do it.** " He said while grumbling to himself.

Naruto nodded and unzipped his jacket to reach into one of his inner pockets. He pulled out a small notepad and wrote the message he wanted to send his sensei. After he had finished writing, he tore the page out and handed it to the toad.

"Here. I want this delivered to Jiraiya-sensei and ask him to respond fast for me, okay?" Naruto informed the orange toad. Gamakichi nodded and pocketed the paper.

" **Don't worry about it bro, I'll have this delivered in no time. Peace!** " Gamakichi responded, and with one last croak, disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto stood upright and zipped up his jacket. As he was doing this, he noticed the small tears and holes that littered his favourite piece of clothing, and sighed. At least he had brought a spare.

"Naruto."

The boy whipped around so fast, having already pulled out a kunai from his left pouch. As his eyes focused on the intruder, his body relaxed from the defensive stance it had taken. Placing his kunai back into the pouch, the figure carried on speaking.

"Hmm. That was quite a fast reaction." He heard Kakashi's voice lazy droll reach his ears. The man glanced up from the book in his hand to Naruto who stood in front of him. "Might I ask why you summoned a toad earlier?" He asked, his voice tinted with curiosity. Naruto's arms hung by his sides as he was speaking.

"I came across the fake oi-nin this morning." He stated calmly while eyeing the silver haired man. The man's lone eye widened slightly and the boy chuckled to himself. "No, we did not battle. But I did find something about him – or rather, them." He said while his right hand trailed upwards to his temple.

"Them?" Kakashi inquired, placing away his book to give Naruto his full attention. The boy gave him a firm nod.

"The oi-nin is a boy by the name of Haku. The other boy is called Kimimaro." Naruto stated informatively. "They're both strong – more-so Kimimaro. The way he held himself belies of the confidence he has in his skill." Naruto concluded warily.

"In terms of what you saw, where would you place their skill level?" Kakashi asked curiously. This was the only way he could pan out the outcome of the obviously nearing battle between them and Zabuza's group.

"Haku is slightly above Sasuke's level while Kimimaro is as strong as I." Naruto stated firmly. Kakashi raises an eyebrow at the calculative deduction Naruto had made, as well as the information he had on Sasuke.

"How do you know how strong Sasuke is? If I'm not mistaken, you were weaker than him and were the dead last of your class." Kakashi's scrutinising gaze regarded Naruto firmly until the boy smirked.

"Deception is the key to being a true shinobi." Naruto quoted in confidence. He had had his reasons for holding back in the Academy with only the Hokage and Jiraiya knowing more than everyone else. Kakashi merely raised his eyebrow higher and then he chuckled.

"I guess I should have expected that from you." Kakashi stated calmly. "So the toad…" Naruto immediately interrupted him.

"I suspect that there's more to Kimimaro and Haku than what meets the eye." Naruto started with a frown. "Haku seemed…reluctant to attack me – even Kimimaro warned me with his eyes." His frown had deepened. He had a slightly dark imprint on Haku's neck hidden beneath his choker.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi inquired considering what Naruto had told him. If _that_ was what Naruto was implying, then the situation was more complicated.

"I don't know. I have enquired with Jiraiya-sensei about it, so I won't know until he responds." Naruto responded, slipping his hands into pockets and gazing upwards at the sky. "But I have reason to believe that Zabuza _some_ control over them." He concluded grimly.

Kakashi glanced at the blonde boy and noticed the dead look in his eyes. Such eyes should not belong to anyone, let alone a child his age.

"Naruto…" Kakashi began solemnly. He wanted – _needed –_ to know. Naruto interrupted him yet again.

"It's fine, Kakashi. I don't blame you for what happened…" Naruto stated calmly while glancing at the man. "Only _them."_ His voice was cold and firm.

There was a flicker of red in those arctic blue eyes but it disappeared almost immediately, Kakashi noted. Fortunately, he was one of the few who knew about this _secret._ He sighed coolly and turned to Naruto.

"What elements do you use?" Kakashi asked with his eyes focused on Naruto. He had noticed – once – during the mission Naruto used what seemed to be an electric _shunshin._ Naruto turned to him and regarded Kakashi with a veiled look. He tilted his head to the right as he spoke.

"I prefer using _Raitōn;_ it's my strongest element after _Sūiton_ and _Fūton._ " Naruto calmly informed him. Kakashi's eye widened marginally at the information. It was quite rare on its own to find a shinobi who uses more than two element – except for exceptions such as himself.

"Well, that certainly is interesting. _Raitōn_ is my primary element as well. How versed are you at using it?" Kakashi inquired curiously.

"Quite. Although I've been meaning to find someone to teach me a few; Jiraiya-sensei – and the majority of shinobi in Konoha – don't know any jutsu from that element." Naruto said informatively. _Raitōn_ jutsu were famous in Kaminari no Kuni after all. "He had meant to ask you to teach me, but he found out you were out on this mission." Naruto stated unblinkingly.

' _It seems that Jiraiya-sama still trusts my skill after all.'_ Kakashi thought to himself in surprise. Then he gave Naruto an eye smile.

"Very well." Kakashi said as he pulled out his book and started walking further into the woods. "Come, I'm sure with your _eyes_ you'll catch on easily." He concluded in his lazy tone, although that was interrupted with a giggle.

Naruto blinked and stared at the man as he walked away. Looking up to the sky, he mumbled to himself.

"Perverts. It's always the perverts." He let out an exasperated sigh but eventually started following Kakashi into the woods.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Naruto and Kakashi walked into the house to find yet another commotion, but this time, it was Tazuna who was bellowing in fury.

The members of Team Seven stood by the side silently watching as the man spewed out curses and threats at one man – Gatō. Inari, on the other hand, was sobbing at the other side of the dining table.

The moment Naruto and Kakashi walked in, Tazuna practically leapt to the silver haired man and held the man by his shoulders. Tazuna was at least two inches taller than him, hence he was looking down at him – but the pleading look on his face was unmistakable.

"Kakashi-san…please." The man spoke through tearful sobs while trying to stay upright. Kakashi looked on wide eyed as the man fell to his knees.

"What's the matter, Tazuna-san?" Kakashi asked solemnly. He had the slightest idea of what was going on.

"Please, I beg you, please save her…" The old man choked in his words and began sobbing once more. "Please save my daughter from that man!"

Kakashi's eyes widened and Naruto, who was standing beside him, stiffened and grabbed the hilt of his chokuto. Turning to the other Genin, Naruto looked directly at Sai.

"When and where was she taken to?" He asked in a stern tone. His eyes had narrowed in anger at the situation. Sai visibly flinched but held his ground.

"She was taken less than an hour ago by Gatō's thugs when she went to the store." Sai began informatively. "She's at the other side of the island, at Gatō's headquarters where he holds all his victims." The moment he had finished, Naruto had already disappeared in his electric _shunshin._

"Naruto!" Kakashi shouted after Naruto as the blonde boy flashed away. "Damnit. You three, stay here and guard the house." He ordered and immediately left via his own leaf _shunshin._

* * *

Naruto was leaping through the trees as fast as he could. To average civilians, he was seen as nothing but an electric black blur. Augmenting his body functions with _Raitõn_ chakra, he moved at the pace of a low jõnin. The sun was dipping in the horizon, spreading an orange hue over the area and shining off the leaves and plants around. Although Naruto never paid attention to it at this moment.

' _It's_ my _fault they managed to capture her.'_ Naruto thought darkly to himself. Ever since the day he had arrived, he had always had four _Kage Bunshin_ watching the house; and whenever Tsunami or Inari would leave the house, a pair of _Kage Bunshin_ would follow them.

But since his body and mind were stressed the previous night, the _Kage Bunshin_ had puffed out of existence. It was unfortunate that she hadn't had his protection on this day. As he blurred over the rooftops, he made a cross seal.

" _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_ And four clones puffed into existence. "Spread out and search Gatō's territory." He ordered. The clones dispersed in high-speed _shunshin._

Utilising a _shunshin_ of his own, an electric static covered his body and his vision blurred. He stopped right outside of the walled headquarters of Gatō's base. With an application of chakra as he made a number of hand seals, his body began disappearing.

" _Meisagakure no Jutsu._ " He intoned. Checking that his body indeed was invisible, he leapt onto the walls and activated his Sharingan. Scanning the area, he saw several of Gatō's numerous ronin chattering amongst each other as they sat around a campfire.

Ignoring that group, Naruto continued running around the area until he heard a piercing scream. Leaping to the top of a nearby building, he scanned the area around as he ran. He saw a large warehouse-like building and heard another scream emanate from there. He heard the ruckus laughter and jeers of a number of men as he neared the building.

He ran up its walls and managed to slip through an open window. Inside, there was a large balcony going around the entire building and as he looked down below, he froze.

Chained to the walls were several nude people. Their bodies either bleeding or stock still, were wounded in many part of their bodies. Some of their throats were slit while others were short of limbs and genitalia.

Arms and legs were strewn around while some heads, which had been cut off lolled on the floor, some with their eyes gorged out. The bodies – of those still alive – had numerous gashes and cuts – some still alive even though their stomachs had been cut open, their innards slowly slipping out – their eyes were wide in horror and fear after they had watched _everything_ being done to their friends or family.

Bile rose in Naruto's throat and he vomited where he stood. Never had he been so disgusted by humanity as he was now. He heard a scream yet again and looked down to the next horrific sight.

Bound in chains was a naked Tsunami, and around her, were several ronin grinning madly and leering at her. They had their hands on their genitals, as they were naked, and were advancing at Tsunami. She screamed yet again and Naruto, who had been watching for some moments, leapt with a loud cry and his blade crackling in lightning.

As he landed, he swiftly decapitated two of the ronin and stabbed one directly in his heart and it exploded in a short shower of blood. None of it stained Naruto as he had already sped to the next ronin, only managing to cut of his limb when he back-pedalled from him. This one lost his balance and Naruto capitalised and stabbed into his stomach.

The last two ronin stumbled and fell on their behinds. They started begging Naruto to spare their lives but Naruto paid then no mind as he charged his blade with _Raitōn_ chakra and cut their bodies in half.

He quickly checked the area for more enemies, and finding none, he turned back to the captured civilians. The last three who were untouched were a young girl in her teens, a young boy around Inari's age and Tsunami. Looking over to the rest, Naruto grimaced at them.

Their wild looking expressions belied to him the state of their minds. They had lost their sanity and one – a young woman – was screaming profanities at losing 'another show'. Turning to those two, he walked over to them and, with some _Raitōn_ chakra, he shut down their hearts. Naruto then fell to his knees, and in his revulsion, vomited for the second time that evening.

' _Humans are sick!'_ His mind screamed at him to put an end to these people – these _monsters_! He stood up and whipped around to face the survivors, his Eien no Mangekyō Sharingan glowing in his eyes.

"Tsunami-san, are you okay?" Looking at the woman, she stared at him in shock and fear, while hesitantly nodding her head. She glanced around and immediately regretted it. She lost all the contents in her body on the spot and began crying.

Naruto, seeing her broken state, walked over and cut the chains. As he laid her down, he performed the _Shōsen_ on her. After he had checked her condition to find that she was still well, he spoke.

"Tsunami-san, please. We have to get you out of this _place._ " He said pleadingly. He turned over to the boy and the girl who were also sobbing.

"Tsunami-san, are you okay?!" Asked the young girl. She seemed shaken up and other than some small cuts on her arms, which seemed old, she was fine.

"M-Miko-chan?" Tsunami moaned as she tried to sit up, with Naruto's help, she managed. "Miko-chan! Are you okay?!" She tearfully exclaimed at her young friend.

"Yes! I'm fine, are you?!" Miko exclaimed in return. She was smiling as tears slid down her face. "Akane is fine too." She said as she turned to the little boy chained next to her. Both her and the boy were still dressed, proving that they had been brought in earlier today, and unlike Tsunami, they had been spared any sexual assaults.

Naruto created three _Kage Bunshin_ , two of which went to free Miko and Akane, while the third one procured a blanket from a scroll within its jacket. Naruto moves towards the doors with his blade crackling with electricity.

"Boss?" One of the _Kage Bunshin_ said as it sensed the chakra emanating from the original.

"Take them and leave while I deal with these thugs." Naruto said in a hard voice. The _Raitōn_ chakra was beginning to spread over his body. The _Kage Bunshin_ nodded at their creator and as they were about to leave, Tsunami spoke.

"Naruto-san, you must leave with us! You won't be able to handle them all alone!" She shouted out her concerns. Naruto didn't turn but he spoke audibly enough.

"I'll be fine on my own." Naruto stated in a firm tone. "I've always been…" He muttered out the last part to himself. He could sense a number of ronin heading to the warehouse – around twenty-five at the least. "You must leave immediately."

"Naruto-san!" Miko shouted over the _Kage Bushin's_ shoulder as it ran through the back door of the warehouse. "Thank you so much!" And they disappeared.

* * *

Naruto smiled slightly to himself but the moment faded and he steeled himself. He walked towards the door and pushed open. Once he was outside, his eyes glowed as he scanned the area.

Surrounding him were several armoured ronin and mercenaries. Some held swords and others held various weapons such as hammers, bows and spears. His eyes glowed in the darkness that covered them and his keen eyesight could see the tenseness in the bodies of most of the ronin.

Some of the ronin were grinning sanguinely while others were watching cautiously. Then one of the larger ronin moved forward. He had brown hair and an eyepatch over his right eye. His upper body was exposed and an intricate tattoo covered his left side. He wore loose-fitting kimono pants, held around his waist by bandage tape and he also wore simple sandals. He pointed a long sword at Naruto's direction and grinned fiercely.

"You!" He shouted. "Who the hell are you and what do you think you're doing here?" His guttural and roguish voice grated at Naruto's nerves but he didn't let it show.

"Leave." Naruto started. "Or die with the rest of these fools." He finished coldly.

His icy tone was enhanced by the slow rotation of his patterned Sharingan. He also noticed most of the thugs flinch at his appearance, which caused a wry smirk to spread on his face.

Naruto's effect was interrupted by a loud laugh from the large ronin which caused a few more laughs from the weaker thugs.

"You think you can defeat us? Defeat me?!" He mocking laughter continued for a few moments until it abruptly stopped. "You'll die where you stand for I, Waraji, swear it upon my blade." The now named ronin, Waraji, swung his blade in a cutting motion. Naruto stood calmly with his arms by his sides as his smirk deepened.

"Very well. _Ōbādoraibu!_ " There was an explosion of _Raitōn_ chakra and Naruto disappeared. The thugs began to panic and failed to notice Naruto appear between them, his blade already swinging.

Naruto cut down three thugs in one fell swoop and ducked under a swipe. Bringing up his blade, he stabbed at the thug on his left and dropped to the ground to sweep the feet of the two on his right. Spinning on his arms, he managed to kick away one thug before he leapt up and vanished from sight, only to appear amidst the next group on the far right, cutting through them like a hot knife through butter.

Naruto, after cutting down his eleventh opponent, glanced upwards in time to catch Waraji speeding towards him.

" _Iaidō!"_ He shouted out as he made to swing his blade at Naruto. Naruto stood upright and brought his sword to block. There was a loud clang of metal as Naruto held against Waraji's powerful strike.

The large man groaned and attempted a high kick at Naruto, who blocked it with his left forearm. Naruto looked up to him and stared Waraji in his eyes. Then the man suddenly dropped in a heap.

The other thugs stopped their advances and stood in shock as they witnessed their leader being defeated by a simple glance. Some gulped and began to walk backwards from Naruto but he stopped their advances when he stomped the ground with his left foot.

" _Katōn: Keshimakuga Hara!"_ The earth cracked and rumbled right under the remaining thirteen thugs. Then Naruto clapped his hands.

And there was a large explosion.

* * *

From the walls of Gatō's base, Kakashi watched as an explosion shook the area. Without wasting time, he ran to that direction.

' _Dear Kami, was that Naruto? It has to be. That was Jiraiya-sama's personal jutsu.'_ Kakashi mused to himself. The last time he had seen that jutsu being performed was towards the end of the Third Shinobi World War against an Iwagakure battalion.

As he was was leaping across the rooftops towards Naruto's location, he sensed six chakra signatures, four of which were familiar. Stopping and searching the area, he saw three black clad figures land on the same rooftop he was on.

"Kakashi-sensei." Said one of the three _Kage Bunshin._

"Naruto? Weren't you the one to perform that jutsu?" Kakashi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That was the Boss, we're just clones." The leading _Kage Bunshin_ said. "We managed to save Tsunami-san and two others who had also been kidnapped this afternoon." It said.

"I see." Kakashi hummed in agreement. "I suppose that Naruto is taking out his anger on the thugs?" He asked, his gaze fixed on the _Kage Bunshin._

"Yes." It stated stoically. "Kakashi-sensei, please check on him. He might overdo it." The Clone said and Kakashi was surprised by this request but he nodded towards the Clone.

"Head back home and stand guard there." Kakashi ordered as he leapt off the building towards Naruto's direction.

"Hai." The clones chorused and leapt away.

* * *

Kimimaro frowned slightly as he watched on from a tall building. Down below, there was a huge plume of smoke which was now clearing. Moments earlier, he had felt the explosion and was ordered to investigate.

As the smoke cleared, a lone figure stood in the newly-made clearing littered with charred and burning bodies. Kimimaro immediately noticed the blonde hair and identified the figure as Naruto.

' _Interesting.'_ Kimimaro mused. As he was watching the figure, it moved towards the charred bodies and stabbed into one. Then suddenly, Kimimaro was shocked at the sight of vermillion orbs glaring up at him. Then the figure disappeared.

' _What was that?'_ Kimimaro thought to himself.

* * *

Naruto stared at the charred bodies unflinchingly. These monsters deserved the reckoning he had dealt them. Some of the bodies had been burnt to ash while others hadn't been caught quite well, half of the bodies burning – he wasn't quite proficient yet with his sensei's jutsu. One, a survivor, moaned in pain. Naruto walked over to the ronin and looked down at him.

"Please…" The ronin groaned in pain. "Please spare me." He spoke in a weak and hoarse voice. Naruto stared coldly at him.

"Like you spared the civilians?" He stated coldly. And without giving the ronin a chance, he stabbed into his chest.

Naruto breathed and extended his senses and immediately felt someone watching him from afar. Gazing upward, his perfect eyesight allowed him to see a figure standing at the top of a tower. The figure's silvery hair glistened under the moonlight and Naruto immediately recognised him as Kimimaro.

Just as fast as he had deduced the figure's identity, he blurred towards Waraji's limp body and vanished with it.

* * *

He reappeared moments later in a forested area within the compound. He could faintly hear the rushed footsteps of Gatō's thugs – the leaders spewing orders to search for a 'blonde haired demon'. It seemed that Gatō's base was equipped with high tech security.

Naruto, after he had placed Waraji on the ground, he reached into his hip pouch and pulled out a small paper with a seal. Adding chakra to it, there was a pop and several scrolls were revealed. He picked one and sealed the rest.

The scroll he had picked had the kanji for 'stasis'. He unfurled it and laid it on the forest floor. He picked up Waraji's unconscious form and laid it on the scroll. He made a few hand seals and there was a puff of smoke. The body had been sealed.

As Naruto was about to pick up the scroll, he sensed something piercing through the air towards him and he dodged by backflipping twice. Where he had been standing were three arrows were imbedded into the ground.

Reactivating his Sharingan, he scanned the area in search of his attackers. He noticed they were perched up on a building one hundred meters from where he was. Sensing other presences nearing, he sped towards the scroll, picked it up and dodged the arrows that were coming for him.

Placing the scroll in his weapons pouch, he stood in preparation. Off to his right, five ronin ran into the clearing. Taking his chance at an element of surprise, he unleashed a volley of shuriken and quickly flashed through hand seals.

" _Katōn: Hōsenka Tsumabeni!"_ The Fire Naruto exhaled infused with the shuriken making them far deadlier than they usually were. The shuriken hit deadly accuracy and burnt or cut at their targets. The ronin yelled out in pain but stopped almost immediately after Naruto had swiftly decapitated them.

With his blade humming with _Fūton_ chakra, he flashed towards the rest of the ronin – he had counted twelve. With the cutting power increased, he used his blade to parry and cut through his opponents and their weapons. Ducking, flipping and swerving around his opponent's, they stood no chance.

Once he had reached the middle, the remaining ronin had leapt away, giving the archers a clear shot which they capitalised on. As the arrows cut through the air towards him, Naruto clapped his hands and the effect was immediate.

" _Fūton: Reppūshō!"_ With an explosion of Wind, the arrows were either shredded or repealed. Manipulating the _Fūton_ chakra he was exuding, it only grew thinner and sharpers as it began shredding the greenery around him. Forming a dome around Naruto, it widened swiftly, catching the thugs in it.

No one survived.

They were all shredded from head to toe strewn over the entire clearing and blood seeping into the dirtied soil. When Naruto reopened his eyes, he felt bile leap into his throat and a chilling shiver run up his spine.

This was why he used _Fūton_ Ninjutsu mainly as a last resort – not because it was weak – but because it was the most brutal of his elements.

The archers, he realised, had fled from the top of the buildings – most probably in fear of him. Good. Naruto's black attire was covered in blots of crimson blood, his hair was slightly dripping of a copious amount of it. Tearing off his torn jacket, he tossed it to the ground and pulled his blade from the earth.

After he had placed it in its hilt, he leapt to the rooftops and sped towards the exit of the compound. As he was moving, he sensed a chakra signature approaching him.

"Kakashi-sensei." He acknowledged as the silver haired man appeared. The man fixed a firm gaze on the boy.

"That was reckless of you, Naruto." He said sternly. Truly, had the boy come across one of the shinobi, things might have gotten tricky.

"But it was necessary." Naruto stated with a steely edge in his voice.

Kakashi didn't disagree with him. He had seen the victims within the warehouse himself, after all. He glanced at the boy yet again. His hair was soaking with blood and there were more than deemed necessary cuts and bruises on his body.

"How many?" Kakashi inquired quietly to himself as they leapt over the wall of the compound. Naruto, taking this as a question aimed at him, he responded.

"Slightly over three dozen." He stated simply. Kakashi's lone eye widened at the number. He doubted that any of his students would have been able to defeat that number alone.

"I see." Kakashi said after a short silence. They had stopped for a moment as Naruto was staring at the moonlight. The boy – he remembered – had always been fascinated by the moon ever since he was a child. He would sit on the roof of his small apartment to watch the moon – some nights he would fall asleep there and the duty came to his ANBU protection unit to take him back inside.

"Let's go." Kakashi commanded and the boy nodded.

A few moments later, the only sign that they had been there, was a few leaves floating onto the forest floor.

* * *

There was a loud racketeering noise as a suited short man barged into the room, being followed by two ronin.

"Zabuza! I demand you go and kill those shinobi right now!" Shouted the short man while pointing at the larger man who was seated at the edge of his bed.

The muscular man was holding up his sword, Kubikiribōchō, without much effort. Then he rested it on his shoulder as he stood up, defining his height. He wore baggy pants and blue-grey leg warmers. He stood shirtless but his forearms were covered by similar arm warmers. Around his neck to the bottom half of his face, was covered in bandages. In a gruff voice, he spoke.

"Gatō, you dare come and demand something of me?" He began darkly and smirked when the short man began stuttering while staring at him bug-eyed.

"N-no! That's not what I was doing." Gatō tried to defend himself. A few days earlier he had been more than confident to make demands while Zabuza was still incapacitated and he had Zōri and Waraji as his protection unit. But now, Waraji was missing.

"Very well." Zabuza responded and stabbed his blade into the ground and leaned on it. "Speak." Haku and Kimimaro were standing behind Zabuza as their master spoke to their employer. Gatō managed to gather himself, although the hint of irritation was not missed.

"One shinobi infiltrated my base, killed almost four dozen of my mercenaries and fled off with three of my victims – one who was the daughter of the bridge builder!" Gatō shouted his anger at the end of his short speech. "Although this shinobi wasn't one of the four that defeated you." He said with a smirk.

Suddenly the room became cold as a dark and malevolent aura spread around. Using all his willpower to stare up, Gatō nearly froze at the dark look in Zabuza's eyes. Just as soon as it came, it was gone. Gatō's laboured breathing could be heard and he glanced back to his protection unit only to find them sprawled onto the ground. A chilling laughter caused him to whip his head back to the demon in front of him.

"So, was that the boy you spoke of earlier, Kimimaro?" Zabuza said while glancing at the white haired boy. The boy nodded and responded.

"Yes, Zabuza-sama. I managed to witness him defeat a dozen of Gatō's thugs with quite a powerful _Katōn_ jutsu." Kimimaro stated stoically. It truly had been an impressive sight. Zabuza hummed to himself and turned back to Gatō.

"Interesting. You will handle him while Haku handles those two boys. That girl is of no consequence; she is weak." Zabuza commanded in cold voice which belied his power and authority.

"Hai, Zabuza-sama." Both boy's chorused in unison, bowing their heads to their master.

"Good. Gatō, I expect my full pay by noon tomorrow." Zabuza stated while staring down at the businessman.

"Only if you keep up your end of the bargain." Gatō replied as he walked up to his guards and kicked them into consciousness. "Wake up, you fools."

Zabuza stared out of the window which gave him a panoramic view of the island – and by extension – the bridge.

' _Tomorrow, Hatake.'_ He thought biliously to himself.

* * *

It was around midnight that Kakashi had gathered his team together in his room. Earlier, when he and Naruto had arrived, Tazuna had thanked them profusely.

Tsunami and the two others, Miko and Akane, had been helped to clean up by Sakura and Inari. It turned out that Akane was one of the local bullies, but due to his state and experience, he had been sobered up quite a lot.

"Team." Kakashi began, eyeing each member of his team. "Tomorrow, we're all going to the bridge. I have reason to believe that Zabuza and his accomplices will attack." He stated calmly.

"Is it because the dobe incurred their wrath with the attack?" Sasuke mockingly stated his opinion while watching Naruto with folded arms. Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly as he glared at the Uchiha.

"I have seen you do nothing but run up and down a tree for the entire duration of the mission. So if I were you, I would keep my opinions to myself." Naruto contemptuously responded to the raven haired boy. Said boy scowled in return and as he was about to speak, he was interrupted.

"Stop it, the both of you." Kakashi commanded sternly. Naruto merely nodded while Sasuke growled and turned away.

"Sensei, you said Zabuza has 'accomplices', meaning there is more than one – the fake oi-nin that took him away after your battle?" Sakura asked in curiosity. The notion of having to fight one more shinobi after they had barely survived against Zabuza _alone_ unnerved her. Kakashi rubbed his temple as he began his explanation.

"Yes, Naruto came across those two early this morning. Their names are Haku and Kimimaro. They seem to be quite strong – the latter being stronger from what Naruto gathered during their conversation." Kakashi informed his team and nodded to Naruto. Sakura immediately voiced her opinions.

"Then Sasuke-kun has to take on the strongest of those two!" She exclaimed ecstatically. Sasuke who was siting beside her smirked and nodded to himself.

"Hn. It's only fair that I, as the strongest, take on their strongest." He said with an ever growing smirk. It had been a while since he tested his skills on a strong opponent.

"No." Naruto stated simply. "Kimimaro will merely walk over you." He continued, tilting his head to the right. "I'll fight him."

"Agreed. Naruto will take on Kimimaro while-" Kakashi was then interrupted by a shout from Sasuke.

"How can he, the _dobe,_ take on the strongest? He's the weakest amongst us! Just because he carries around a sword doesn't mean he won't fall over it and kill himself!" Sasuke shouted irately. _He_ was the strongest of his group, always had been, and always will be.

"Yeah! Sasuke-kun was the Rookie of the Year, not Naruto-baka." Sakura shouted out her opinions. She failed to see how her sensei thought Naruto was better than her Sasuke-kun. Then they heard a chuckle and they all turned to the blonde haired boy. The boy looked up to them with his dead grey eyes.

"How many times have you killed, Uchiha?" Immediately everyone flinched at the cold tone coming from the blonde. Glancing at Sasuke who maintained an unfazed look, he responded.

"A few. I barely see how that matters, dobe." He responded indifferently.

"Then you won't be able to defeat him." Naruto stated wryly. He glanced at the open window where he could see the moonlight peaking through. "Not until you bathe in the blood of your enemies just as Kimimaro and I have."

A cold chill blew into the room and the remaining four occupants visibly flinched. They all stared wide eyed at what Naruto had just said. Sakura seemed to turn a bit green while Sasuke visibly shut his eyes as though he was in pain. Kakashi and Sai barely reacted any further. They had all seen the copious amount of blood on Naruto when he had returned.

Naruto then stood up and picked his blade, attaching it safely to his belt. He could feel the cold chill attempt to enter his body through his mesh armour – as he had not gotten the chance to change his clothes – but he paid it no mind. His _jailer_ would warm his body up for him.

"I'm going to bed." Naruto said as he slid open the door, shaking everyone out of their reverie. They sat in silence for a few moments until Kakashi broke it.

"As I was saying earlier, Naruto will handle Kimimaro, while you two…" Kakashi said pointing at the two boys left in the room. "Will fight Haku. I'll leave a Clone with Sakura guarding Tazuna if necessary. Understood?"

"Hai, Sensei." The three Genin responded quietly.

* * *

The following morning, the entire Team Seven moved towards the bridge in a diamond formation, with Tazuna in the middle. Naruto had stayed behind to protect the Tsunami and Inari.

Through Waraji, who had been interrogated the previous night, they had found out that there was a planned attack on Tazuna's home – most probably to take hostage of the man and his family. It was just by chance that they had been able to kidnap Tsunami the previous day.

As they arrived at the bridge, they immediately tensed as they felt the cold in the air. Moving further, the feeling got colder once they spotted a few bodies on the ground. Some had pools of blood underneath which caused some reactions from his team.

Sakura gasped audibly and turned to the side as she lost her breakfast. Sasuke and Sai became more pale than their usual disposition. Tazuna was the most reactive.

"What happened here?!" He shouted out in fear as he ran to the closest body. The man's breathing was laboured as he uttered words that froze him.

"It was…a demon…in t-the mist." And his breathing stopped. Tazuna's eyes widened marginally but felt his body being _moved._ As he regained his bearings, he saw a figure garbed in black standing in front of him. The blonde mop of hair calmed him slightly.

Tazuna glanced around and saw, for the second time in his life, a true shinobi battle. On the other side of the bridge, he could hear clangs of metal deep into the mist. On his right, he saw Sasuke and Sai dashing towards a masked boy who held elongated senbon in his hand. Sakura was running to his side and Naruto…

Naruto pulled out his chokuto and held it, pointing it towards the dissipating mist.

"Show yourself, Kimimaro." He said in a cold voice. As the mist dissipated, a pale white haired boy stood before them. And the strangest thing happened right before their eyes. A bone began growing out of the pale boy's shoulder and he _pulled_ at it, flicking it to the side and lowered himself into a stance.

"Come."

And they dashed towards each other.

* * *

 **Shunshin no Jutsu – Body Flicker Technique:** D-rank, Supplementary; It is a high-speed movement technique. By using the Body Flicker Technique, a ninja can move short to long distances at an almost untraceable an observer, it appears as if the user has teleported. It is accomplished by using chakra to temporarily vitalise the body and move at extreme speeds. The amount of chakra required depends on the overall distance and elevation between the user and the intended destination. A puff of smoke is occasionally used to disguise the user's movements. Other elements or substances can be used instead to distract the opponent: Konoha Shinobi utilise a Leaf Body Flicker.

 **Kuchiyōse no Jutsu – Summoning Technique:** C-rank, Offensive-Defensive-Supplementary; The Summoning Technique is a a high-level technique, which utilises space–time ninjutsu to transport animals or people across long distances instantly and uses blood as a sacrifice. Before an animal summoning can be performed, a prospective summoner must first sign a contract with a given species. The contract comes in the form of a scroll, on which the contractor uses their own blood to sign their name and place their fingerprints and once signed it is valid even after the contractors death as long as the contract itself remains intact. After this, they need only offer an additional donation of blood on the hand they signed the contract with, mould their chakra with hand seals and then plant the hand they signed the contract with at the location they wish to summon the creature. The amount of chakra used during the summoning determines how powerful the summoned creature can be. It is possible for a summoner to summon a group of the same contracted animal, as opposed to a single individual.

 **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique:** B-rank, Supplementary;Similar to the basic Clone Technique, this technique creates copies of the user, however, these clones are corporeal instead of illusions. The user's chakra is evenly distributed among every clone, giving each clone an equal fraction of the user's overall power. The clones are capable of performing techniques on their own, including the Shadow Clone Technique itself, and can even bleed, but will usually disperse after hit by a strong enough force. The clones can also disperse on their own, or be dispelled by the user of the technique.

 **Meisagakure no Jutsu – Camouflage Technique:** A-rank, Supplementary; This is an escape technique that allows the user to control how light is reflected around their body with chakra inflections. The technique also erases the user's scent and shadow, and is usable on any terrain, making it ideal not only for covert manoeuvres but also offensive strikes.

 **Raitōn: Ōbādoraibu – Lightning Release: Overdrive:** C-rank, Supplementary; By utilising lightning release, the user can speed up the signals that are sent from the brain to the muscles to increase the user's striking speed. The technique also gives the user cutting capabilities from barehanded attacks.

 **Iaidō – Way of Iai:** Offensive; The term Iaidō refers to a specific kenjutsu style that is concerned with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard, striking or cutting an opponent, removing the blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard. The linear motion and the force applied to draw the sword from the scabbard results in slashes that are faster and stronger than ones executed with the sword already drawn.

 **Katōn: Keshimakuga Hara – Fire Release: Extinguishing Curtain Field:** B-rank, Offensive; The user stomps the ground with his foot, creating a crack that goes under the opponent. The user sends fire into the crack, boiling the earth below the opponent and finishes by clasping their hands together, creating large and fiery explosion where the opponent is.

 **Katōn: Hōsenka Tsumabeni – Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson:** B-rank, Offensive; The user unleashes a volley of shuriken with one hand, and at the same time exhales fire-infused chakra onto them to increase the weapons' destructive potential by making them capable of inflicting severe burns upon direct contact with either the intended victim, or any object caught within their trajectories. Due to the chakra based nature of the flames that surround them, the shuriken will continue to burn after impact, regardless of the flammability of the object that they ultimately collide with.

 **Fūton: Reppūshō – Wind Release: Gale Palm:** C-rank, Offensive-Supplementary; It is a technique where the user either increases their velocity, or by the user clasping their hands together, wind is compressed and transformed into a powerful gale, which has enough force to knock over or cut a person. When used in conjunction with shuriken or kunai, the tools become more lethal as their speed is increased.


	6. Wave III

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Kono Yo no Kyūseishu

" _Well, the oppressor dictates the terms of the struggle." – 'Kaz Kaan'_

* * *

 _CLANG!_

There was momentary lapse of silence until the sound of clashing weapons returned – only this time, they were more visible from the ferocious movements of the combatants.

Sakura couldn't believe what she was seeing.

A few minutes ago, everything had gone south when they'd arrived on the bridge only to find bleeding bodies and corpses of men lying near around the tool shed. It seemed, to her, that these men had attempted to protect their materials unaware that they were the targets. And they'd paid for it.

Sakura promptly turned to her side and vomited her breakfast.

Turning to the battle closest to her, she saw magnificent orange sparks floating around the area. To her untrained eyes, that was all she could see. But her senses told her otherwise. She could feel two presences blurring to each other only to clash at their meeting point several times. It baffled her how _Naruto_ could be so fast. _**Even Sasuke-kun isn't that fast!**_ Her inner self screamed to her.

With the mist lifting, she managed to catch a glimpse of the fighters as they clashed. One, so pale – that it was reminiscent of her two teammates – his silver white hair glistening under the few rays of light that pierced through the dark morning clouds. The other, a boy of tanned skin, his cheeks marred with symmetrical scars of unknown origin and golden blonde hair that shone brighter than the morning star. That was all she caught before both boys leaped away from each other with the blonde boy coming to stand in front of her – _them_ – like those warriors she had read about.

"Sakura." She heard the blonde boy address her in a calm tone. "Protect Tazuna-san and yourself at all costs, I might have to go all out." He stated while narrowing his eyes towards his opponent – not that she could see.

' _ **All out? What has he been doing this entire time?!**_ _'_ Her inner self shouted out in wonder.

"But Naruto-" Sakura started but was interrupted by the same boy. He slightly turned his face towards her and, despite what she thought – what she _believed_ – was all forgotten when she saw the excited gleam in his icy blue eyes.

"Relax. I can handle this." He said as he turned to his opponent and pointed his sword towards him. "Let's take this up a notch." He smirked predatorily.

Sakura's eyes widened when lightning exploded of out Naruto and he dashed ahead, faster than before, to meet his opponent in yet another clash.

* * *

In his humble opinion, _Raitōn_ is the most effective of all five elements. With the usage of his favourite element and one of his personal jutsu, he managed to recreate a bastardised version of the Yondaime Raikage's fabled _Raitōn no Yoroi._

His jutsu allowed electrical currents to speed through his synapses to increase his reaction time and overall speed. It's added benefit allowed his bare body to gain a certain piercing edge due to the nature of lightning chakra. So it came as a surprise to him that he could not cut through the thicker bone sword his enemy wielded.

He immediately leapt back and came under the scrutiny of his opponent's impassive gaze.

"Interesting." Kimimaro said as he laid his bone sword on his shoulder. "That jutsu allows your body to work faster by providing electric currents to the brain. But it's certainly a meagre version in comparison to the Raikage's _Lightning Armour._ " He raised an eyebrow when he noticed the smirk on Naruto's face.

"I never expected to battle a Kaguya." Naruto simply stated. "I wonder how you fled from the battle that destroyed your clan." He said inquisitively. He tilted his head to the side as he noticed Kimimaro flinch slightly.

"My foolish clan sought out their own destruction when they attempted a coup on the Yondaime Mizukage just to sate their bloodlust." Kimimaro bitterly stated his opinion. "It was because of that bastard that my clan stooped lower than they ever had in the past, hence leaving me as the sole survivor of the once almighty Kaguya clan." He sarcastically concluded with a dark look swimming in his emerald eyes. A look of surprise came to his face when Naruto spoke.

"I apologise for my words, Kimimaro." Naruto said while glancing at his opponent sombrely. "I suppose we share the same fate. I, also, am the last of my clan." Naruto said as he glanced at the red swirl at the base of his sword. This was the last heirloom, last object that connected him to his ancestors, his mother.

"I have seen your eyes, you're not the last." Kimimaro stated while narrowing his eyes. Naruto merely chuckled and held his blade before his opponent.

"My eyes are a curse but this blade is my true heritage." He held out his blade and it began to spark with _Raitōn_ chakra. "For I am the last Uzumaki. _Come._ " Naruto shouted out with a predatory grin marred on his face.

They both sped towards each other, blade in hand and clashed several times. Naruto parried a piercing movement with his sword and attempted an overhead kick which Kimimaro ducked under. Backflipping away, as Naruto regained his balance, Kimimaro was already approaching and swinging his bone sword. Naruto parried the sword with his own but was unable to block the powerful kick that landed on his chest.

Naruto skid backwards and dodged to the left before Kimimaro pierced through the air where his head was a few moments before. Dropping down, he attempted to sweep Kimimaro's feet but the pale boy leapt into the air. Grasping his sword once again, he slashed upward and managed to knick Kimimaro's shin as he flipped away.

Kimimaro flipped and landed some metres away from Naruto. Flinching as he found balance, he glanced down at the bleeding wound then back towards Naruto.

"Impressive. You're the first person to wound me in battle in many years." Kimimaro stated approvingly. Naruto merely nodded to him then formed a cross shaped seal.

To Kimimaro's surprise, another Naruto popped into existence and both began speeding through hand seals. The mist around began lift due to both Naruto and his _Kage Bunshin's_ chakra output. Kimimaro's eyes widened at how strong a presence Naruto's chakra had.

" _Suitōn: Teppōdama!"_ Naruto'sClone intoned as it manipulated the moist air around it and began firing several water bullets from all around it.

" _Raitōn: Raikyū!"_ Naruto intoned as sparks of lightning began forming into glowing electric balls which he launched and they, along with the water bullets, merged into more powerful jutsu.

" _Gensō Konbō: Ikari no Shokku!"_ Both Naruto's shouted out their combination jutsu.

Kimimaro's eyes widened marginally at the oncoming jutsu. Rather than fleeing, he sped towards the incoming jutsu, dodging with intent of getting to the _Kage Bunshin._ One electric ball managed to graze his shoulder as he twisted between two of them and another blew through his bone sword, managing to disarm him. Though he had lost a weapon, he remained unfazed as he dashed towards Naruto's Clone.

" _Yanagi no Mai!"_ He stated calmly as bone protrusions grew on both his palms, elbows, shoulders and knees. He began stabbing at the _Kage Bunshin_ while it leaped backwards, losing control of its jutsu. Then with a burst of chakra to his legs, he leapt towards it and spun in the air, elongating the bone protrusions and managing to shred the Clone before it disappeared in a plume of smoke.

' _Kami…'_ Naruto thought to himself in shock. It was no wonder the Kaguya were feared, and those like Kimimaro were said to have been feared more.

Their _Kekkei_ _Genkai,_ the _Shikotsumyaku_ was a feared bloodline once having earned as much recognition as the _Byakugan_ of the Hyūga clan. The few who had it could manipulate their skeletal structures through infusing their calcium with chakra. Naruto had found out about this clan when he searched for the history of his own clan – supposedly the Kaguya, Uzumaki and Senju were distantly related. So, in some way, Naruto himself was distantly related to Kimimaro as well as one of his sensei's old teammates, Senju Tsunade.

Naruto watched in fascination as Kimimaro's bones receded into his body as he rose to his full height before turning back to Naruto. He seemed to be amused by Naruto's reaction as he tilted his head to the side.

"That is my heritage." He said bemusedly. "My clan believed me too powerful to be controlled, so they kept me chained up in a cell for long periods of time during my childhood. When they attacked Kirigakure, they left me behind and I was found by Haku." Kimimaro said while gauging Naruto's reaction. He wasn't disappointed, it seemed Naruto really had a genuine heart. "Haku and I have become something akin to brothers for we have suffered, shed blood and tears for our master and ourselves. So to protect my brother, I will kill you if need be." Kimimaro concluded in a firm tone. Naruto's eyes widened as he caught the undertone of those words.

 _Give up._

Suddenly there was a loud cry and it was accompanied by a scream from one of his teammates.

"Sasuke-kun!"

* * *

Sasuke was engaged in a fierce taijutsu battle with Haku. Ducking under a high kick from the Uchiha, Haku swept at his feet and managed to, before twisting on the ground acrobatically and placing a kick on Sasuke's chest, which he blocked by crossing his arms. As he flipped in the air, he sped through hand seals before taking in a deep breath.

" _Katōn: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"_ He blew out a stream of fire which formed a large fireball and sped towards Haku who was on the ground, placing his hands after he finished his own seal sequence.

" _Suitōn: Suijinheki!"_ A medium sized wall of water formed from the drenched ground of the bridge. The scorching fireball collided with the water wall and a massive plume of steam rose. The steam merged with the residue mist making it more difficult to locate their opponent.

"You shouldn't have done that." Sai stated monotonously. This had just made it more difficult to locate their already illusive opponent.

"Tsk." Sasuke snarled at their current dilemma. If only he had the Sharingan, he could have seen through this mist easily. It was the strongest dōjutsu after all.

Sai pulled out a blank scroll and a tube of ink before painting on the scroll and forming a hand seal.

" _Ninpō: Chōjū Giga!"_ Sasuke watched in fascination as the four snakes which Sai had painted came to life and slithered away into the mist.

Suddenly Sasuke leapt away before being stabbed by elongated senbon _._ It made him wonder how shinobi managed to turn medicinal instruments into weapons with the capability of maiming or killing with the right poison. He pulled out a kunai and deflected a few more that tried to stab him while he was still in the air. Flipping in the air and balancing on a tree bark with chakra, he sped downwards when he noticed Haku engaging Sai in a taijutsu fight.

Sai was holding well considering Haku was stronger and faster than he was. He tilted his head to the side before being grazed by Haku's fist and he attempted his own uppercut, which Haku grabbed before kicking his side. Sai skidded away with a groan and before Haku could capitalise, Sasuke appeared and attempted a roundhouse kick which Haku steadily blocked and grabbed his leg before spinning and throwing Sasuke towards a tree. Before Haku could regain his balance, he was kicked on the chest by Sai and had to flip backwards twice to avoid an ink snake that tried to slither up to him.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he sped forward towards Sai and Sasuke who now stood side by side. Sasuke dashed to meet Haku half way and they clashed each other's forearms. Haku attempted to stab Sasuke with a senbon using his left hand but his weapon was cut by Sasuke with his kunai. He blocked the incoming slash from below with his protected shin and kicked away the kunai. As he was about to capitalise with another kick, his leg was tied and pulled to the ground by a black ink snake. Two more slithered up to his other leg and right arm. Sasuke smirked when he saw that they had captured their opponent but turned to Sai and snarled.

"I could have captured him myself, you loser!" He shouted to the approaching pale skinned boy. Before Sai could respond, Haku did.

"No. You wouldn't have." He said while making one handed seals. Sasuke and Sai's eyes widened marginally. They jumped backwards but realised their mistake.

" _Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishō!"_ Haku intoned as thousands of sharp water needles formed around the two boys and were launched towards them. Both boys screamed as they were pierced numerous times before they both fell to the ground.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried out from the other side of the battlefield.

The snakes that had bound Haku exploded in a shower of ink since their creator no longer had control over them. Haku glanced at both of his opponents and sighed. Both boys groaned in their pain. It seemed that the Uchiha still had some fight in him.

Sasuke groaned as he tried to move his almost freezing body. Those water needles had dissolved in his body and now he was experiencing some form of hypothermia. Glancing towards Sai, he found the boy attempting to sit up. He turned to his opponent who stood some ways away from him and began running through hand seals before holding the tiger seal.

"This will teach you to mess with a Uchiha." He shouted out to Haku in anger. " _Katōn: Hōsenka no Jutsu!"_ Sasuke took a deep breath and blew out several head-sized fireballs toward Haku who merely held out his hands.

" _Hyōton: Hyōgan Dōmu!"_ The residue mist around Haku began to change and surrounded Haku before the fireballs collided with it. There were a few explosions which indicated the power put behind those fireballs.

' _That should take care of him.'_ Sasuke thought as he smirked. As the steam where the explosions had been dissipated, he stood with wide eyes watching the phenomenon before him. Right where his opponent stood, he was surrounded by a dome of reflective mirrors.

"It seems you have managed to push me to using my _Kekkei Genkai._ " Haku calmly stated from within the dome. It began falling apart with loud clangs akin to mirrors breaking. "Now I'll show you my true power." He said before speeding towards his opponents, his hands going through hand seals.

Sasuke stood defiantly before the incoming Haku with a kunai in his hand. Sai, who had managed to sit up, began scribbling fast into his scroll. Both of them did not expect what happened next. Haku suddenly stopped and held strange hand seal.

" _Hyōton Hijutsu: Makyō Hyōshō!"_ He muttered quietly. The residue water from the previous attacks, the mist surrounding them and the remaining ice plates all flew towards Haku and the two boys. Then, amazingly, the water began forming large ice mirrors that surrounded three boys. The mirrors continued to form a dorm around them. There were twelve mirrors around them, eight mirrors above them angled towards the ground and exactly one mirror facing the ground. Seeing as they were both surrounded with no way out, the were shaken out of their stupor when Haku spoke.

"This is my ultimate jutsu." He calmly stated and to their shock, they watched him walk into one of the mirrors. "Give up or perish at my hands." The moment he said that, several reflections of Haku appeared in every mirror. Sasuke merely smirked and glanced at Sai before turning to Haku.

"You're speaking to the wrong people." He said. Sasuke nodded to Sai and sped through hand seals.

"Very well." Haku said while pulling out senbon from his pouch.

* * *

There were showers of sparks as they clashed once again. They'd been fighting for the past several minutes and had managed to wound each other a bit. But then they were Jōnin level shinobi, wounds like these were merely nuisances.

Kakashi tossed aside the broken kunai he was holding and sighed. That was the fourth one, if he counted correctly. It was difficult battling against Zabuza and his blade, Kubikiribōchō. It was one of the Seven Swords of Kirigakure no Sato for a reason. Fishing into his utility pouch, he pulled out a simple looking scroll.

"I guess this is the best time to use this." He muttered to himself before unsealing what was within. Once the plume of smoke disappeared, Kakashi picked up the weapon he had unsealed. The weapon seemed simple enough. It had a black hilt and a silver blade. He held it up towards his opponent and poured chakra into it.

"Ah, the fabled White Chakra Blade." Zabuza chuckled as he saw the tantō glow with white chakra. "The last I heard of it, you had supposedly broken it during one of those suicidal ANBU missions of yours, eh Kakashi?" He said while carrying on with his chuckling.

"Hm, supposedly." Kakashi responded cryptically. "But it doesn't matter. Now, where were we?" He said before dashing forward to meet his opponent.

They clashed several more times, with Kakashi gaining the upper hand with his lighter blade and faster movements. His only down side was the reach of his blade as it was not as long as it was in his youth unlike Kubikiribōchō. Kakashi managed to cut across Zabuza's chest causing him to groan, before having to leap back when Zabuza cut diagonally across his chest. Zabuza began running through a sequence of hand seals which Kakashi recognised immediately.

" _Sūiton: Daibakufu!"_ He shouted and a large amount of water rose from the ocean and formed a ten metre high wall of water. Then, like a waterfall, the wall exploded in a large torrent of waves towards Kakashi who's eyes had widened marginally before he leapt backwards while making hand seals.

" _Dōton: Doryūheki!"_ A massive five metre wall with a face of a bulldog rose to protect Kakashi from the raging waves of water. While behind the wall, he saw the mist around him thickening. Placing a hand on his wound, he swiped a little bit of blood and ran through hand seals.

" _Kuchiyōse: Dōton: Tsuiga no Jutsu!"_ He muttered quietly and a large sealing array appeared where he had placed his palm. There was some rumbling before it became quiet.

Kakashi promptly checked the wound and judging from the bleeding, it wouldn't be too long before he succumbed to blood loss. Utilising the meagre knowledge he had in Iryō Ninjutsu, his palm glowed a layer of green chakra and he hovered it above the wound, stopping the bleeding. That would do.

"You know, Zabuza, I never took you for the teacher-student or teammate relationship considering what you did in your past." Kakashi stated blithely. Then suddenly Zabuza began to chuckle which eventually grew into a full blown laughter, his voice echoing from every direction within the mist.

"I have no use for such useless ideals." Zabuza started sharply while narrowing his eyes towards Kakashi. "Shinobi are just tools for their masters to use before they rust and are eventually discarded for new ones."

Suddenly they heard a scream from the now revealed dome of mirrors. Kakashi's eyes widened as he recognised the owner of the voice that had screamed out.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi shouted in alarm but as he was about to run towards the dome, Zabuza appeared in front of him. His left arm was hanging lazily by his side.

"Ah ah ah, your fight is with me Kakashi." Zabuza said before gripping Kubikiribōchō firmly with his right hand and speeding towards Kakashi. Kakashi merely held up his blade and blocked Zabuza's strike.

"True." And the earth broke while Kakashi leapt away. Several dogs began attacking Zabuza relentlessly while he tried to defend. A large bulldog head butted his back causing him to stumble while a small pug bit into his tendon. Two wolf-like dogs bit into his left side, both his arm and leg, causing him to drop to one knee.

"I've seen your future, Zabuza." Kakashi said while running through a few hand seals. There was a loud screeching of _Raitōn_ chakra as sparks of lightning started dancing around Kakashi's hand.

* * *

' _That was Sasuke!'_ Naruto thought in alarm. Despite not being the best of friends – _hardly –_ Sasuke was still a fellow shinobi from Konoha.

Naruto and Kimimaro had been battling for some time and there was quite the evidence to that. Broken branches, fallen trees, trenches and uneven holes from earlier jutsu. Their fight had moved considerably further from the other two battles and was now at the edge of the forest.

Naruto watched as Kimimaro appeared from the rubble unscathed. His bloodline healed every wound inflicted anywhere on his body. Naruto had yet to find out if Kimimaro's healing factor was on the same level as of the Uzumaki. He was broken out of his thoughts when Kimimaro spoke.

"Give up. You stand no chance against me." Kimimaro stated simply. While he was unscathed, the same could be said for Naruto. It would seem that this would end up a battle of attrition, rather than that of skill and power. Naruto smirked as he replied.

"I'm not known for giving up." He replied amusedly. "But do humour me. Why would you fight for Zabuza when you clearly dislike what you're doing?" Naruto asked as he narrowed his eyes. "I understand that he helped the both of you, I really do. But you, nor Haku, seem to be like Zabuza."

Kimimaro seemingly ignored Naruto as he began unzipping his shirt and pulling his arms out of each sleeve slowly. Naruto's eyes widened when he saw the intricate circular pattern of three curved lines at the base of his throat.

"This is why." Kimimaro began while pointing at the seal. "Zabuza-sama was once an idealistic man who, despite his upbringing, loved Kirigakure. However, after he saved Haku and I, he attempted a coup on the Yondaime Mizukage. He failed dismally, and in his failure, he lost himself to his madness." Kimimaro concluded darkly.

Naruto was shocked at what he'd been told. His suspicions had been correct but he couldn't be certain as of yet. Standing upright and placing his arms by his side, he spoke.

"What does the seal do?" In his limited knowledge and experience in the art that is Fuinjutsu, he had never come across a seal such as this one.

"He calls it the _Tentai no Norōi._ " Kimimaro began cautiously. "This seal binds us to his will for as long as he lives." He stated tautly. His freedom – the only thing he had yearned for – had been taken away in its infantry by a man who had only saved them from death. _Death is better than bondage._ Kimimaro thought darkly to himself.

Naruto's critical mind was moving at high speeds attempting to understand the purpose of this seal, it's disadvantages, weaknesses and how to destroy it. Kimimaro noticed Naruto's expression and chuckled humourlessly, catching Naruto's attention once again.

"Like I said, for as long as he lives, we are bound to his will." Kimimaro stated with a smirk gracing his lips. A bone started growing out his shoulder and he pulled at the bone.

"I will free you from those binds, I promise you." Naruto said as he channeled _Raitōn_ chakra into his sword and body. Kimimaro showed his surprise by a sudden raise of his eyebrows. They went further upwards when Naruto spoke his last words before dashing towards the bridge.

"I'll do anything for my kin."

* * *

Within the mirrors, Haku looked at his downed opponents unblinkingly. Both his opponents had stood their ground against him, especially the Uchiha.

It seemed to him that when the boy had awakened the fabled Sharingan, he had begun to react better and faster due to the eyes predictive ability. But arrogance had been the Uchiha's downfall. The boy had begun boasting about the infinitesimal abilities of the Sharingan and how it was the strongest of all bloodlines.

Amidst his tirade, he had failed to defend himself from an attack that came from behind him.

Haku's senbon had been lodged around his spine and nerves, numbing his body from the neck down. Haku watched as the other boy, Sai, attempted to reach his teammate to remove those senbon. With Sasuke down, their chances of winning were slim. Haku managed to stop him from moving any further by launching senbon which forced him to move further away from his teammate.

"Your efforts are futile." Haku said as he watched Sai pluck out the senbon in his body.

The boy was clearly exhausted as he was barely standing on his feet. It seemed that a few senbon had been laced with numbing poison. The boy then fell to his knees. His breathing was haggard and his face was drenched with sweat.

"As I said before, your efforts are futile." Haku states simply. "Give up or fall at my hands." Haku concludes coldly.

"Give up?" Sai questioned in curiosity. "That would defeat my purpose." He stated simply.

Haku's interest was piqued in the strange boy's actions. The boy didn't seem to exude any aura or emotion – that was fairly strange on its own.

"What is your purpose?" Haku questioned inquisitively. Sai merely glanced up at the reflection of Haku closest to him.

"I am nobody. I do not exist, only the mission does. I am but a tool for my master's bidding." Sai stated in a dispassionate and blank tone. Haku was shocked by the words which seemed to be a deeply ingrained motto in the boy's mind.

"We are the same." Haku countered quietly. "But I have goals and dreams that go beyond what binds me to my master." He responded fiercely. Sai merely responded with an empty and fake smile.

"Fortunately I have neither goals nor dreams. I am what my master needs me to be." Sai stated as he pulled out two kunai with explosive tags attached to them. He tossed them towards the mirror which he had been standing in front of. He then leapt away before making a hand seal. "Kai."

And there was an explosion.

Sai had rationalised that an impact or a powerful _Katōn_ jutsu or explosion could be enough to melt or shatter one of the mirrors providing an escape route. He was sorely mistaken. When the smoke dissipated, the mirror which he had attacked still stood unmarred. His eyes widened when Haku spoke from behind him.

"I asked you to give up, now you have forced my hand." Haku stated in a cold voice. Sai's eyes widened water started forming all around him. He had already experienced this jutsu, he did not wish to again.

" _Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishō!"_ Haku commanded the water to form needles – a thousand of them as the jutsu's namesake. Just as they had been launched, he sensed a figure enter the dome.

" _Fūton: Reppūshō!"_ Naruto said as he clapped his palms together and a strong gale blew from around him, repelling and dissipating the water needles.

Haku's eyes widened when he witnessed the execution of the jutsu Naruto had performed. It seemed that besides _Katōn,_ the boy seemed to be skilled in the _Fūton_ element as well. He sensed another presence approaching from the forest and Kimimaro appeared outside the dome.

"Haku, drop your jutsu." Kimimaro said making Haku turn in surprise. Haku scrutinised Kimimaro before asking his question.

"Why?" Haku asked in suspicion. Kimimaro has told him about Naruto's eyes, and if he was not mistaken, their description were the same as those which had awakened in the Uchiha. It was said that the Sharingan's Genjutsu prowess was unmatched, so it would not be above Naruto to have put Kimimaro in an illusion. "What is our goal?"

"Freedom." With those words, the mirrors shattered and Haku appeared by Kimimaro's side. "And no, I'm not in an illusion." Kimimaro said with a smirk.

"I couldn't have been certain." Haku responded with a shrug of his shoulders. They turned to their opponents and watched them quietly. The three boys had huddled together with Sai helping up Sasuke and Naruto standing further in front of them with his sword in his hand.

"I don't want to battle you both, Kimimaro, Haku." Naruto stated calmly. Seeing the state of both his teammates, he wasn't sure that he could take on Kimimaro and Haku without revealing his secrets.

Suddenly there was loud screech and Haku mechanically began forming hand seals. Kimimaro's eyes widened when a mirror of ice appeared before Haku walked into it and disappeared.

"Haku!" Kimimaro shouted out in horror.

* * *

Kakashi's jutsu died down as he lost control of it due to the surprise he was experiencing. He had initially prepared his _Raikiri_ in order to kill Zabuza after he had gotten the upper hand when he summoned his dogs.

But instead of Zabuza, his victim was a pale effeminate boy.

Sensing his opponent gain his strength back, he grabbed the boy and leapt away from a powerful slash from Kubikiribōchō that dented the cemented bridge. He pulled his arm out of the boy's chest and was surprised when the boy groaned in pain. His arm – to his surprise – instead of piercing through the boy's heart, had pierced his lung. Such an injury would have been fatal, but by a stroke of luck, he hadn't pierced any critical vein that would have caused the boy's lung to overflow with blood.

" _Shōsen no Jutsu."_ Kakashi muttered as he placed a glowing hand on the boy's chest. He sensed two presences appearing and noticed Naruto and a white haired boy approaching him.

"Haku! What happened to him?" Kimimaro shouted in fear as he noticed his friend bleeding.

"It was by my hand. Zabuza summoned him as I was attacking him." Kakashi stated calmly. Naruto had made him aware of his suspicions a few days earlier, this instance clearly proved his suspicions correct. Naruto knelt next to Haku with his hand glowing.

"Seat him up, I'll heal his back." Naruto offered and Kakashi nodded. It took them a few moments but they eventually managed to heal the worst of the wound.

"I never expected the both you to betray me." Zabuza began in a mocking tone. "At least one of you will be dead by the time the other quickly follows over." He said while releasing a strong killing intent. Kimimaro clenched his fist with a look of unadulterated rage on his face.

" _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."_ Naruto intoned and a Clone appeared. It picked Haku up and sped towards the other members of the team. Naruto had sensed Sakura and Tazuna with the two boys.

"You will die by my hand, I promise you that." Kimimaro stated coldly before glancing at the boy next to him, who nodded back at him before they sped toward Zabuza, with Naruto leading.

Within a flash, Naruto blurred across Zabuza who dodged to the left and brought his up sword to block a stab from Kimimaro. He quickly shifted his feet to kick away Naruto. The blonde boy ducked under the kick and attempted to sweep at Zabuza's feet but the man leaped upwards and was immediately pushed away by a kick to his chest, courtesy of Kimimaro.

Naruto pulled out his sword before exploding in _Raitōn_ chakra. He blurred towards Zabuza and swung at the man. Zabuza blocked with Kubikiribōchō before making half a hand seal with his presumably numb arm.

" _Suitōn: Teppōdama!"_ And he started blowing out several water bullets towards Naruto and Kimimaro.

Naruto slashed through the bullets coming towards him, while Kimimaro dodged fluidly and elegantly through the barrage. It seemed that the Kaguya where blessed with nobility and elegance befitting of the Hyūga clan. Naruto stopped running and started channelling chakra for his next jutsu. He watched Kimimaro perform flawless taijutsu and force Zabuza away. With yet another bone sword in his hand, Kimimaro took a stance before muttering his next technique.

" _Tsubaki no Mai!"_ And he was off. Kimimaro began to attack chaotically, continuously creating after images that even confused Naruto's Sharingan. The movements were irregular but ferocious and dangerous to Zabuza.

The man had managed to block several of those attacks, seemingly used to the pattern, but had begun to lose against Kimimaro as he had been forced to utilise Kubikiribōchō with one hand after Kakashi wounded his left arm. Although he had pulled of a jutsu earlier, his arm wasn't strong enough to hold Kubikiribōchō. Zabuza then leapt away from Kimimaro and got his momentary reprieve before Naruto began his attack from his left.

" _Raitōn: Sanda!"_ Naruto said as his body was covered in lightning. With a flick of the wrist, a lightning bolt was sent towards Zabuza who leapt away in surprise. While in the air, Naruto flicked both wrists several times creating a number of small lightning bolts, a few which managed to graze and one that struck Zabuza's left arm, numbing it yet again.

Kakashi watched in shock as the two boys, barely within their teenage years, reach a standstill with a seasoned Jōnin. It was quite obvious that both boys were strong being at least mid-Chūnin, but he hadn't been expecting this. Kakashi cursed his small reserves yet again. He couldn't continue fighting Zabuza as he was already wounded and his last chakra he had expended with the usage of his personal jutsu and healing Haku.

It truly amazed him how both boys, who had barely known each other for over a day, were fighting so perfectly side-by-side. He watched as both boys stood together as they watched Zabuza stumble as he tried to regain his bearing after being electrocuted yet again.

"I never expected you to be this pathetic, Zabuza." Kimimaro stated coldly. His fury had yet to dissipate. "Using Haku to escape with your own life, despicable." Kimimaro was surprised when Zabuza started laughing.

"I have always known that with your stronger will, you could resist my is why I placed a different seal on you." Zabuza started darkly. "You see, your seal isn't merely a seal to control you. If I die, you die with me." His laughter increased at the looks of shock he received.

Kimimaro's eyes has widened marginally – as had Naruto and Kakashi's eyes – while his hands started to shake slightly. Then suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced to the person. He couldn't explain it but he felt something familiar within him.

Naruto stared at Kimimaro in a daze, his mind speeding with numerous flashes. Indiscernible images continued flashing through his mind but there one one prominent one.

A pale boy with white hair.

Then suddenly, he moved his hand towards Kimimaro's chest and placed it on the seal. He muttered the word he had only said once before, as his eyes began to glow.

" _Gakidō."_

A seal is a symbol, or rather a pattern, imbued with the sealer's chakra. In this instance, the seal on Kimimaro's chest had Zabuza's chakra. The secret to breaking such a seal was imbuing a third chakra as the first and second chakra were bound to each other. This worked for minor seals like control seals or contract seals. But with seals such as those used on Jinchuriki, one had to use the key or drain all the chakra, including the Bijū's chakra, out of the vessel.

So with this new power, Naruto watched as a crack formed in the middle of the intricate seal, showing that it had shattered. Then Naruto blinked and looked in surprise at Kimimaro.

"I know you." Naruto said quietly. It boggled him how he felt he knew Kimimaro yet he had never in his life met him or a person of his description.

Kimimaro on the other hand was shocked. There had always been that unnatural feeling where the seal laid. The feeling within it was foreign and uncomfortable, like an itch, but now the feeling was gone. His shock was further increased when Naruto shared the feeling he had felt earlier. He had never met Naruto but he felt as though he'd known him his entire life. Kimimaro pushed those thoughts back and turned towards Zabuza.

The man in question had narrowed his eyes when the boys had interacted with each other for those few moments. He had felt _something_ coming from the blonde boy, but it had vanished within the moment. He pulled Kubikiribōchō out of the ground in preparation to attack but before he could move, he felt something cold move up his body only to find his limbs bound by snakes made of ice.

"Your time is over." He heard the cold voice before he felt pain. " _Hyōton: Hissatsu Hyōshō!"_ Haku commanded and several ice spears emerged out of the ground and pierced every vital organ in Zabuza's body.

He died in an instance.

Haku almost fell to his knees but he was caught by Kimimaro who appeared by his side. He glanced up at Kimimaro with a small smile.

"We finally did it. We are free." Haku said with relief in his voice. But their peace was broken when they heard a loud sound of clapping.

"You really did it." Said a hoarse voice. The mist cleared and in front of them, Gatō appeared wearing his standard black suit. "I expected to find him still alive but I guess he was a puny little demon after all. But now that he's dead, it'll save me much trouble and make killing the rest of you easier." He said in an arrogant tone causing his mercenaries to laugh aloud.

"Gatō." Naruto said as he moved to stand in front of his group. "You despicable piece of scum." Gatō shivered when he heard the cold tone in which Naruto insulted him with.

"You dare insult me, boy?! I'll teach you a lesson." Gatō shouted out in anger but before he could command his mercenaries to attack, he heard Naruto speaking.

"I will rip your head off for what you did to this country." Naruto said in a dark and cold tone. "And I am going to enjoy every single moment of it." He concluded as he allowed his blue eyes to bleed before glowing and spinning as they formed a peculiar pattern. He grinned darkly showing his elongated fangs.

He watched as Gatō and his men shivered and began stepping backwards in fear. Gatō himself stepped further and hid himself behind the first line of mercenaries.

"Whoever kills him first gets a bonus and several women tonight!" Gatō shouted in fear. The mercenaries, whether they were mindless of the danger or not, began running forward to attack Naruto.

As the mercenaries approached, Naruto sped towards them, his body covered in _Raitōn_ chakra. He stabbed the first mercenary before kicking him away and slashing at two more. Before they stumbled to the ground headless, he leapt into the midst of a group before spinning with his blade in hand and cutting several more mercenaries. It went on for a few seconds where he would stab, parry, slash or pierce his opponents, before he leapt to the clear side of the bridge. He held a tiger seal before breathing in.

" _Katōn: Ryūka no Jutsu!"_ Naruto intoned before breathing out a stream of scorching hot flames which formed into a dragon. The mercenaries, some stood and watched in fear as the dragon of flames approach them, while others attempted to flee. However, they were stopped when numerous water needles pierced them.

" _Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishō!"_ Haku said as he commanded the residue water to form several hundred water needles. Although he had been battling and was wounded a while back, he had recovered enough to assist in this battle. Sai and Sasuke were not in the condition to battle – the same could be said for Kakashi.

In between those two opposing elements, the mercenaries were falling in numerous numbers – their previous large number bordering over two hundred had dwindled to around fifty. Some managed to escape the scalding flames and the cold water needles but they barely had a chance to celebrate their survival when Kimimaro appeared amongst a group of three dozen mercenaries.

" _Karamatsu no Mai!"_ Kimimaro stated calmly as several bones began growing out of his body. Bones had grown out of his arms, palms, chest and back. His opponents, having watched in horrific fascination, started stepping away in fear – some stumbling over each other. Kimimaro looked towards each of his opponents, and saw a few brave ones holding onto their weapons, before smirking darkly.

"Die." He stated simply before leaping towards his first opponent. Using his weaponised right arm, he stabbed through the ronin's chest before spinning quickly and kicking away a second to the last of Naruto's jutsu. He pulled his arm out in time to block a sword slash and stabbed at the man with chest. Jumping over some arrows that had been shot by some mercenary, he sped into the midst of a group and spun at high speeds, slashing off the heads and limbs of eight mercenaries.

Naruto sped forward with his sword in his hand and slashed off two heads and stabbed another mercenary in the heart. Ducking low from a swing, he slashed at the man's leg down from the knee before spinning around him and kicking his back in the direction of the attacking Kimimaro, who then pierced the man's head.

At the sidelines, Kakashi and Haku watched with varied expressions as Naruto and Kimimaro decimated the entire mercenary force. Haku, witnessing this for the first time, watched as Naruto pierced his sword and ran _Raitōn_ chakra into the wet ground, electrocuting them, while Kimimaro leapt up and elongated his bones and, like a whirlwind, as he descended on his opponents, slaughtering the last of the mercenaries.

It was both beautiful and gruesome – a perfect balance for shinobi.

He watched as both Naruto and Kimimaro glanced at each other momentarily before Kimimaro nodded at Naruto and began walking back towards Kakashi and Haku. Naruto, instead of joining them, started walking towards Gatō.

The man was on his knees, vomiting out whatever was left in his body. With his sensitive nose, Naruto smelt the urine and faeces coming from the man. It sickened him more when he remembered what this man had done to the women he had kidnapped from this country. With a powerful kick to the chin, the man floated for some moments before he was grabbed harshly by the throat. As he opened his eyes, he into contact with strange but piercing blood red eyes.

"I promised to rip your head off and enjoy every part of it." Naruto began with a cold and menacing tone. He added more chakra to his eyes and they begun to glow as the spun slowly. Gatō himself watched those eyes in a trance like state as he failed to muster up any words – or breathe at all. He saw something flicker in those dangerous eyes but it vanished the when the eyes disappeared.

"But that courtesy doesn't belong to me." Naruto said with a cold smirk. He had sensed the approaching mob of civilians coming from the direction of the town. "It belongs to those people whose lives you destroyed."

Gatō turned around and his eyes widened when he saw the mob of civilians approach from across the bridge. The mob was being led by a small boy wearing a metal bowl as a helmet and holding a crossbow in his hand.

"We're here, Nii-san!" Inari shouted holding up his crossbow.

* * *

 _Naruto watched from the trees as two mercenaries approached Tazuna's home. It seemed that the information they had managed to glean off of Waraji was accurate._

' _This changes things.' Naruto thought to himself. They had planned in case the attack actually happened today but Naruto had hoped that they would have delayed due to his attack the previous night._

 _He watched as the mercenaries neared the house and decided to take action. With a burst of speed, he silently appeared behind the two – now identified – ronin._

" _I wouldn't go there if I were you." Naruto stated calmly. Their reaction was immediate as they leapt away and brandished their swords at him. The blue haired ronin smirked and put a hand on his hip._

" _Well, well. If it isn't the little brat that attacked our base last night." He began in a mocking tone. "I gotta say, your work caused my boss to blow a gasket." Then he smirked cruelly. "And to think you took out Waraji. Impressive." He was disappointed when Naruto didn't react. However, his partner flinched and took a few steps back._

" _H-Hey Zori, I don't think we can take on this kid!" He spoke fearfully. He had seen the decimation this kid had caused and the bodies – or rather what was left of them – he had piled up. This kid was a monster._

" _Shut up, you dunce! Gatō is paying really good money for this one!" The now identified – Zori – turned to his partner. He was shocked when a kunai lodged into his partner's head right before his eyes before he felt his body freeze._

" _You really should have listened to that 'dunce', Zori." Naruto whispered into his ear before piercing through Zori's chest. Naruto watched blankly as the blue haired man crumbled to his knees. Dead._

 _He then flicked the blood off his blade and placed it in its scabbard before summoning a Clone. Knowing what to do, the clone picked up the bodies and went further into the woods to burn them. Naruto, himself, walked up to the house and stepped inside only to find Tsunami seated with Inari at the dining table._

" _Tsunami-san, Inari-san, I require your assistance." Naruto said while watching both mother and son. Tsunami looked surprised before she responded._

" _What do you need, Naruto-kun?" Tsunami asked curiously. Naruto noticed that she had begun to refer to him with that affectionate term after he had saved her the previous night. He didn't dislike or hate the term._

 _Rather it brought back painful memories._

 _Shaking his head slightly, he glanced towards the bridge as he sensed usage of chakra. Ever since he was young, he had this acute sense – be it towards chakra, sound, smell or taste. He now knew where the last three came from but he wasn't sure about the first._

' _Must be from my Uzumaki lineage.' He mused to himself._

" _I believe that Gatō is going to attack the bridge tonight with his group of mercenaries." He paused when Tsunami gasped in fear. "Your father will be fine. Kakashi and his team will protect him." He watched as the woman nodded hesitantly. "What I need from you and Inari is to rally up the villagers to come and assist us to fight off the mercenaries."_

 _A lie. He knew that with Kakashi – and if possible, Kimimaro and Haku's – they could handle the mercenaries. But the villagers needed this. He turned to Inari and looked him straight into the eyes._

" _Inari, can I count on you to become the hero this country needs?" Naruto asked in a firm tone. Despite the boy's previous actions, he believed in the boy. He smirked when he saw a fire burn in the boy's eyes._

" _You can count on me, Nii-san!" Inari said with so much conviction that it would be difficult to not believe in him._

' _Just like Konohamaru.' Naruto thought amusedly to himself. He then turned and began walking towards the door before he was stopped by Inari._

" _Hey, aren't you coming with us?" Inari asked with a slightly indignant expression. He watched Naruto turn to him and smirk._

" _I've got some people to save." Naruto stated confidently. He raised his hand and formed half a seal and his body blurred away._

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when the people of Nami no Kuni had congregated at the town centre. Glancing around, Naruto could see disbelief, apprehensive and grim expressions of the people.

Because right in front of them was the burning body of their greatest tyrant.

He glanced to Kimimaro and Haku who stood by his side. Haku had Kubikiribōchō attached across his back. _Spoils of war_ , they called them. Both boys had decided to accompany him while Kakashi had taken his team back to Tazuna's house to rest from their battle.

Sasuke had been put in a deathlike state – apparently the same as what Haku had done to save Zabuza during their first encounter with Team Seven. Sai had suffered numerous wounds from Haku's senbon, as well as a numbing poison which had made him lose all types of mobility for the time being.

With Naruto's assistance, they had dragged a bound Gatō to the middle of town and proceeded to attack him, either with words or physically, causing the man to scream out in anger or pain. Right now, the people were watching grimly as the last of Gatō's screams faded wind the wind while the man's body continued to burn to ash.

The people began to move away, some to their homes and some to bars and brothels to drown their sorrows. Today would be the day of mourning for all they lost and all their friends and families killed by Gatō and his men.

Tomorrow would be a celebration of a new beginning.

"You know, it's kind of amazing how one man could seize control of an entire country." Haku spoke in a soft voice. They were among the last people remaining to watch as the body began breaking down to ash. "No one man should have all that power." He chuckled bitterly.

"Yagura is the same – a tyrant. It's hard to believe that he was once Mizu's beloved Kage before he began those bloodline purges." Kimimaro spoke as he gazed at the darkening sky. The sun had dipped and let the moon take control of the sky.

"People aren't inherently evil." Naruto began calmly. "They are affected by their surroundings, the people they associate with and the likes. From what I know about Yagura, he had a relatively fair life in comparison to other jinchuriki. I doubt that would have caused his change." Naruto concluded curiously.

"You do speak some truth." Kimimaro responded while folding his arms and turning to his companions. They stood silently for some moments before Haku spoke.

"So what now?" Haku attempted to gauge Kimimaro's thoughts. Kimimaro had always been the most reliable when it came to thinking up plans for the future – that was how it had been for those years they were on their own. But this time, Kimimaro seemed to have no idea.

"I don't kn-" Kimimaro was interrupted when a small puff of smoke appeared in front of them. Kimimaro and Haku were further surprised when an orange toad looked around before it set its gaze on Naruto.

" **Yo, Naruto!** " The toad croaked as it hopped on its feet. It glanced up at Kimimaro and Haku before pointing towards them. " **Who are the new guys?** " The toad asked with curiosity.

"Gamakichi, what took you so long?" Naruto asked in a slightly irritated tone. "I thought I told you to get this done as soon as possible." Naruto sighed and scratched his temple when the toad merely shrugged.

" **The pervert wasn't in the Village. So he took his** _ **sweet**_ **time before finally arriving this morning.** " Gamakichi responded. He couldn't actually say no to Jiraiya when the man _bribed_ him. He watched as Naruto smacked his face exasperatedly – even the two other kids seemed amused.

"And?" Naruto said expectantly. Gamakichi decided that he had made enough fun of his friend.

" **Hokage-sama agreed to your suggestion. Although they weren't able to find the seal you told them about.** " Gamakichi said informatively. He was surprised when Naruto crouched down and picked him up. " **Hey, let go of me, you dweeb!** " He was further surprised by the gleaming grin on the boy's face.

"Thanks Kichi." Naruto said before putting the toad on top of his head and turning to the two boys. "I have a solution. How about you two join Konohagakure no Sato?" He asked in a slightly excited tone.

Although they hadn't said it, the three boys had quickly become friends after their battle against Zabuza – and even before, when they had met in the forest. He watched as both boys were surprised by his offer. Haku glanced at Kimimaro before he spoke.

"We can finally have somewhere we can call home." Haku suggested to Kimimaro. The boy seemed to be thinking deeply about this offer. Then Kimimaro smiled.

"We still have to finish our battle." At that Haku rolled his eyes while Naruto merely chuckled.

"Of course."

* * *

It took a few more days to complete the bridge's construction, with the assistance of Naruto's clones.

As predicted, the day after Gatō's execution, people had celebrated and a large mob of civilians had looted Gatō's headquarters and found various types of goods, supplements, weapons and others. The goods had been shared fairly according to Gatō's books. Despite the his faults, Gatō was a meticulous businessman. All his dealings were recorded in variously labelled books.

While going through the books, they had found information regarding Gatō's dealings with villages or organisations such as Iwagakure, a new village named Otogakure no Sato and, strangely, the Akatsuki. There was much more information regarding other organisations and villages all recorded in Gatō's books which would aid Konoha very well.

With the construction finalised, Team Seven and their additional members stood in front of a gathered crowd of civilians. With the bridge's completion, they would be the first to use it to travel back to Konoha as the bridge connected to the mainlands of Hi no Kuni.

The past few days had gone rather well. Naruto informed Kakashi about his agreement with the Hokage and Kimimaro and Haku. Kakashi has openly welcomed the boys into their group, with Sasuke and Sakura acting strangely towards them. It seemed that Sasuke was bitter that he was defeated by Haku while Sakura was angry that Haku had hurt and defeated Sasuke in combat. Sai seemed to be the only neutral one towards the two boys.

Naruto, Kimimaro and Haku had spent much of their time together. Naruto eventually learnt of Haku's tragic past – of how his father had found out that both Haku and Haku's mother were from a bloodline lineage, to which he acted on by killing his wife and in turn being killed by Haku – and the boy's early years together. Suffice to say, his respect towards both boys increased. They had sparred several times and it was clear that Kimimaro was the superior with his taijutsu. Haku wasn't as skilled in taijutsu but his weapons accuracy and speed was commendable – coupled with the usage of his newly acquired Kubikiribōchō, he was expect to become a more dangerous opponent.

Standing before the large arc that decorated the bridge's entrance, Tazuna was shaking hands with Kakashi, thanking the man profusely for allowing to continue the mission despite his misinformation. Kakashi merely tried to placate the man's vigorous actions by telling him that it was the least he could do.

Off to the side, Sakura was chattering animatedly with Tsunami and Namiko, the young girl he had saved along with Tsunami and Akane. Namiko seemed to be tossing glances in Naruto's direction – Kakashi had teased Naruto about how he was getting all the women in this town.

Sasuke and Sai were standing amongst a few boys around their age who were questioning the two boys about the shinobi life – and Sasuke took the chance to showboat his _superiority._

Naruto, Kimimaro and Haku merely stood by the side as they watched the people bid farewell to their new friends. The three boys watched as Inari, Akane and a few other boys and girls their age, approach them. They had somewhat earned hero status in this village after it was discovered that all three had defeated the mercenaries and eventually captured Gatō.

"Nii-san, do you have to leave?" Inari said in a slightly dejected tone. The boy had begun to look up to Naruto as some idol or role model – and it had done quite well for the boy to regain much of his lost confidence.

"Yeah, there are other people who need saving out there." Naruto said as he ruffled the boy's head affectionately. He made a mental note to visit his honorary little brother, it had been a while. The two older boys watched in amusement as Inari attempted to swat Naruto's hand away from his head.

"Knock it off!" Inari huffed as he finally managed to move away from Naruto's grasp. He heard snickers coming from his group and scowled. "Fine, you can go. I can protect the country on my own." Inari said with conviction. Naruto smiled before ruffling the boy's hair once again.

"I have no doubt that you can." Naruto said with an amused smile. He then noticed the rest of Team Seven approaching and bidding their farewells to the villagers.

"Well, I think it's time we leave." Kakashi said while securing his backpack.

Tazuna stood in front of the mob of civilians as they watched the shinobi who had saved their country be the first to walk on his bridge. He felt a tug on his pants and glanced down at Inari.

"Jiji, you haven't named the bridge yet!" Inari said as he wiped the last of the few tears that he had shed. He had promised Naruto that he wouldn't cry anymore, but Naruto had assured him that tears of joy were not a bad thing.

"Hm, you're right." Tazuna said while rubbing a hand on his chin. The people had quieted down waiting expectantly for his response. "How about Tazuna Ōhashi, huh?" He sweat-dropped at the blank and disbelieving expressions on his people's faces. A few even facepalmed at the name.

"How about Tsu no Otokonoko Ōhashi? To the three boys who saved us from Gatō and his men?" Tsunami softly suggested. The villagers seemed to agree with her and she noticed the smile on Tazuna's face.

"The Great Bridge Of The Three Boys, I like the sound of that." Tazuna stayed proudly and the villagers in front of him cheered loudly as he watched the tiny speck that was the group of shinobi that had left earlier.

* * *

 **Raitōn no Yoroi – Lightning Release Chakra Mode:** B-rank, Offensive-Defensive-Supplementary; The user wraps their body in a layer of lightning chakra which, instead of being used offensively, is used to electrically stimulate their nervous system. The technique speeds up the neural synapses reaction time, and pushes physical prowess to the absolute limit allowing for tremendous speed. The technique has different levels of activation each visibly depicted by the user's hair which stands up when the technique is activated to the fullest. The higher the level, the higher the speed the user can achieve.

 **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique:** B-rank, Supplementary; Similar to the basic Clone Technique, this technique creates copies of the user, however, these clones are corporal instead of illusions. The user's chakra is evenly distributed among every clone, giving each clone an equal fraction of the user's overall power. The clones are capable of performing techniques on their own, including the Shadow Clone Technique itself, and can even bleed, but will usually disperse after being hit by a strong enough force. The clones can also disperse on their own, or be dispelled by the user of the technique.

 **Sūiton: Teppōdama – Water Release: Water Bullets:** C-rank, Offensive; After kneading and converting their chakra into water, the user will shoot one or more condensed blasts of water at the target. The size is dependent on how much water the user can store in their body.

 **Raitōn: Raikyū – Lightning Release: Lightning Ball:** B-rank, Offensive; The user creates spheres of electrical energy and launches them at the enemy. When they make contact with the enemy, the spheres electrocute and throw them back. This technique can also be used in rapid succession or fire multiple balls at once.

 **Gensō Konbō: Ikari no Shokku – Elemental Combination: Shock of Outrage:** B-rank combination, Offensive; The user, with the assistance of a Shadow Clone, uses **Sūiton: Teppōdama** to create several water bullets, which combine with the electrical spheres of the clone's **Raitōn: Raikyū** , creating a powerful combination.

 **Yanagi no Mai – Dance of the Willow:** Offensive, Short-range; The first of Kimimaro's dances. To perform this dance, Kimimaro grows several long blades from his body for use as weapons. There isn't any set form for the **Dance of the Willow**. Just like a willow that is shaken by the wind, the opponent's attacks are simply parried and countered. Uncharacteristic of the willow, the hardened bones puncture and damage the opponent's body.

 **Katōn: Gōkakyū – Fire Release: Great Fireball:** C-rank, Offensive; A technique where chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into fire and expelled from the mouth, either as a massive sphere or as a continuous flame-thrower. The released flames will engulf their target, and is capable of leaving a crater in the ground's surface. The scope of this attack is altered by controlling the volume of chakra that is mustered.

 **Sūiton: Suijinheki – Water Release: Water Wall:** B-rank, Offensive; A technique that creates a wall of water around the user to defend against attacks. This can either be done either by using a pre-existing source, or if the user is skilled enough, from thin air. While mainly used as a defensive tactic, it can be used in an offensive manner by directly aiming below the opponent to have the water rise up and strike them.

 **Ninpō: Chōjū Giga – Ninja Art: Super Beast Imitating Scroll:** B-rank, Offensive-Supplementary; Using chakra-infused ink, the user can quickly and expertly draw objects into their scroll. The moment the brush is removed from the scroll, the images leap from the paper, grow to life-size, and act according to the user's will. Because they are made of ink, a single blow is usually enough to dispel them. For discreet communiques while undercover, Sai is able to turn the words he writes into small animals, allowing them to travel unnoticed to the intended target, after which the ink animal requires a scroll to revert back into written information. In addition to the animals it is normally used to create, Sai can produce explosive tags.

 **Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishō – Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death:** B-rank, Offensive; Haku gathers water from the air and surrounding environment to form them into a multitude of long needles. He then directs them to a specific target at high speed, leaping backwards before the impact so he doesn't get caught in the crossfire. While the needles do surround the target from all sides, they don't appear above the target, creating an escape route.

 **Katōn: Hōsenka – Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire:** C-rank, Offensive; This technique creates a volley of small fireballs, which are sent flying in an unpredictable manner to assault the enemy. The flames are controlled individually with chakra, so avoiding them all is very difficult. Shuriken can also be concealed within the flames, creating an unexpected secondary surprise attack.

 **Hyōton: Hyōgan Dōmu – Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome of Magnificent Nothingness:** B-rank, Defensive; Haku can quickly freeze the surrounding air and create an ice dome around himself and/or allies to act as a defence. It is strong enough to withstand the assault of many explosive tags at once, remaining almost undamaged.

 **Hyōton Hijutsu: Makyō Hyōshō – Ice Release Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals:** A-rank, Offensive; In an instant, the user can form floating ice mirrors out of ice, which they can enter and launch out of at exceedingly high speed levels. If the mirror the user is in is broken, they can leap out of one of the fragments and continue their attack or move to another mirror. The technique requires a large amount of chakra to maintain, so the user's movements becomes progressively slower the longer they maintain the mirrors.

 **Sūiton: Daibakufu – Water Release: Great Waterfall:** A-rank, Offensive; The technique extends water over a large scale, surges and rises up to several dozens of metres high. Then it streams down to the ground in one big cascade, much like a gigantic waterfall. In doing so, it resembles a huge wave, with tremendous power that can hollow out the ground. What remains after the technique's utilisation is reminiscent of no less than the aftermath of a natural disaster. This is a considerably advanced ninjutsu, and activating this technique requires a fair amount of chakra. The water can also be produced from the mouth.

 **Dōton: Doryūheki – Earth Release: Mud Wall:** B-rank, Defensive; The user creates a solid wall of earth as a form of defence. Chakra is either converted to earth within the body and then spat out to form the wall or the user can manipulate pre-existing earth to form the wall. The earth then instantly rises up and takes form.

 **Kuchiyōse: Dōton: Tsuiga – Summoning Technique: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique:** B-rank, Offensive; A high-grade tracking-offensive ninjutsu where one calls upon ninken with a summoning, so they can tail the target from underground and assault it simultaneously with their the user marks an opponent with his or her blood, they roll out a scroll and smear their blood across it. Afterwards, they place it between their hands and make the seals before slamming the scroll into the ground. The ninken are summoned there and travel through the ground following the scent of the blood. When the target is found, they erupt from the ground and hold down the opponent with their mouths.

 **Tentai no Yoroi – Curse of the Heavenly Body:** A fuinjutsu that caused the one the seal is applied on to follow the user's will as long as it is stronger than theirs. It is also affected by the type of chakra the user has, meaning, the darker the chakra, the stronger the control.

 **Fūton: Reppūshō – Wind Release: Gale Palm:** B-rank, Offensive; C-rank, Offensive-Supplementary; It is a technique where the user either increases their velocity or by the user clasping their hands, wind is compressed into a powerful gale, which has enough force to knock over or cut a person. When used in conjunction with shuriken or kunai, the tools become more lethal as their speed is increased.

 **Raikiri – Lightning Cutter:** S-rank, Offensive; Kakashi's Chidori gained the name "Lightning Cutter" when he used it to split a bolt of lightning. Although this indicates greater finesse with Kakashi's Lightning Cutter than exists with the standard Chidori, it isn't clear how they differ because they are performed in fundamentally the same way: both concentrate lightning chakra in the hand; both are used to rapidly pierce targets; both cannot be safely used without the Sharingan.

 **Shōsen no Jutsu – Mystic Palm Technique:** B-rank, Supplementary; The Mystical Palm Technique is a medical ninjutsu which allows the user to speed up the body's natural healing process by sending chakra from their hands into a wound or afflicted body part. This allows the user to heal a patient without the need for medical equipment or surgery, making it very useful on the battlefield. It can be used to treat both external and internal injuries. It is vital to match the amount of chakra used to the severity of the affliction or injury. This requires a great amount of chakra control, and because of this, only a few highly skilled medical-nin are able to use this technique. Kabuto Yakushi demonstrated the ability to use it a short distance away from the target instead of through direct contact.

 **Tsubaki no Mai – Dance of the Camellia:** Offensive, Short-range; The second of Kimimaro's dances, which he performs by modifying one of his upper arm bones to create a short, bone-hilted sword. He then stabs chaotically and continuously which causes the opponent's eyes to lag behind. The speed resembles afterimages, the hand with the sword is again and again visibly projected. And yet the movement is irregular which makes it difficult to predict. With each thrust the sword's track is very capable of changing. The attack comes from unexpected angles, causing a person's delicate defence reaction to come off guard. Though one can have great reflexes and moving ability, it is next to impossible to keep dodging the fierce attacks until it stops. Thus if one showed an opening, a finishing blow would be dealt by one stab in an instant.

 **Raitōn: Sanda – Lightning Release: Thunder:** B-rank, Offensive; With a flick of their wrist, the user is capable of firing countless small sparks of lightning towards a target.

 **Gakidō – Preta Path:** The Preta Path grants the user the ability to absorb chakra in any form. This ability is primarily defensive in nature as it is capable of absorbing chakra from an individual through physical contact. In addition to this, the Preta Path is able to absorb ninjutsu-based techniques, thereby nullifying their effect. This is done by forming a barrier around the user's entire body, allowing them to absorb attacks from all directions. Although the ability is able to absorb Senjutsu chakra, the user is still vulnerable to the effects of turning into a stone statue from absorbing too much of it.

 **Hyōton: Hissatsu Hyōshō – Ice Release: Certain Kill Ice Spears:** A-rank, Offensive; A technique in which several large ice spikes emerge from below to impale anyone in its vicinity. The rate at which this occurs is so sudden, that it's considered to be a certain kill. When used inside an enclosed area like a cottage, it leaves very little room to escape.

 **Katōn: Ryūka – Fire Release: Flame Dragon:** C-rank, Offensive; The user breathes fire along a cord or any other type of long object, which rushes forward in a straight line catching the enemy on fire. A line of enemies can be used as the conductor as well. The flames are meant to target, and assault the enemy's upper body.

 **Karamatsu no Mai – Dance of the Larch:** The third of Kimimaro's dances. From the body, several bones pop out all at once. The stronger the opponent's physical attack, the more powerful the counter attack is, dealing severe damage. The sudden defence, combined with needle-like bones provides way for a technique which has great potential for battle. The bones can be used to block or trap an opponent's taijutsu strikes. In addition to being an unwelcome surprise for opponents, it makes him basically untouchable at close range. If an opponent would start to get close to him, he would begin to spin rapidly slashing the foe in multiple areas.


	7. Discovery I

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Kono Yo no Kyūseishu

Book III: Discovery

" _The truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, should therefore be treated with great caution." – 'Albus Dumbledore'_

* * *

Stone.

That is all he has known his entire life. He wasn't complaining though, the cobalt stone that stretched for miles on end – was the same stone that had moulded him into the man he was today. Despite being surrounded by sharp cliffs, high mountains and dangerous valleys, he has always loved his village.

There was a subtle knock on the door and he acknowledged the person to enter. He didn't turn around to face the person, rather, he continued floating in front of his window as he gazed down at his beloved village. His grandfather and master had taught him the ways of this village in his youth. Taught him that only the strong survived and their survival depended on their will.

The Will of Stone.

Such a ludicrous concept equivalent to the Will of Fire those damned tree-huggers solely believed in – but it had done its duty. Numerous people, boys and girls, men and women, had laid down their lives for the sake of the Village. He himself had led those people through two wars – a great feat in and of itself.

Although, his grandfather hadn't lived through the first, and his master had lost his life during the second.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard the person who had entered his office clearing his throat. Despite the standard decorum, he thought irritably to himself. _Damn youngsters!_

"Tsuchikage-sama." The man watched as the old Kage floated back to his seat.

The years hadn't been kind on his leader. Despite the man's advanced age, it could not be denied that he was still the most powerful shinobi in Iwagakure no Sato. He watched as the old leader floated down to his chair, an audible creak coming from the chair – probably the his back as well, if the slight grimace was any indication.

"Kitsuchi, you know very well not to interrupt me when I am reminiscing." Ōnoki said irritably, while extending an arm to his hip, gently massaging it. "What is it now?" The Sandaime Tsuchikage said while glaring at his son. Despite Kitsuchi's serious expression, Ōnoki didn't miss the glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Intel just came in from our spies." Kitsuchi began. "It seems that our business partner, Gatō, was executed by the villagers of Nami no Kuni under the allegations of manslaughter, abduction, sexual assaults, terrorism and tyranny. It was found that that he murdered the Daimyō of Nami no Kuni and took over the country." Kitsuchi informed.

Ōnoki's expression became grim. Gatō had been their partner for years and had served as a naval fleet that supplied Iwa with various types of supplies which Tsuchi no Kuni lacked due to their rocky and mountainous territory. This would cause a blow to their economy if other means of transportation weren't made quickly.

"That is some grave news indeed." Ōnoki stated grimly. He wasn't fazed by the allegations towards the man – he knew whom he was working with. Although this piqued his curiosity. "The villagers couldn't have done this by themselves if Gatō and his mercenary force had managed to kill the Daimyō. Who assisted them?" Ōnoki questioned curiously. He would have to deal with the village or organisation that had done this. His village was now going to suffer for their actions.

"Our spies found that the resistant part of the village had supplied a bridge builder by the name of Tazuna with funds to have shinobi protect him from Gatō as he completed his bridge. The man went to Konoha for help and was given Hatake Kakashi and his team of Genin to protect him." Kitsuchi stated informatively. He hesitated slightly but continued with his report. "But Gatō was captured by a boy named Uzumaki Naruto." He stood unflinchingly as he watched the Sandaime Tsuchikage slammed his fist into his desk.

"That damned brat has foiled another of my plans yet again!" Ōnoki shouted in anger. It wasn't even two months ago when he had foiled their attempted kidnapping of Uchiha Sasuke. His mind flashed back to one particular failure of a mission.

* * *

 _Ōnoki heard a knock on his office door as he was signing thjrough the budget reports concerning the new training regime being implemented for Chūnin level shinobi and kunoichi._

" _Enter." He said as he placed the report into a light brown manila folder. He watched as his assistant nervously stood by the door. Kitsuchi, who had been seated by the opposite chair, immediately shifted and stood by his father's side._

" _Tsuchikage-sama, Han is-" The assistant was interrupted when Han shoved past he and stood in the middle of the room. His imposing figure scared the assistant and she fled when she got the signal to leave from the Tsuchikage._

" _Report." Ōnoki commanded not wishing to waste anymore time with Han in his presence. The Gōbi's jinchuriki wasn't particularly welcome within the Village except for missions that required one of his caliber._

" _The mission was a failure due to the interruption of Konoha shinobi, particularly Sarutobi Asuma and a blonde haired brat by the name of Naruto." Han stated and turned to leave the room._

 _Ōnoki watched grimly as Han walked out of the office. He had neither the control nor power to force the man to respect him anymore. He turned to Kitsuchi, who was both his Jōnin Commander and leader of Iwagakure's Spy Network. Although it wasn't comparable to Jiraiya's network, it did get the job done._

" _Kitsuchi, find out who this Naruto is and if he might pose a threat in the future." Ōnoki ordered sternly. Kitsuchi nodded and walked out of the room to fulfil his orders. Ōnoki appreciated how his son was his most loyal shinobi and was always the one to stand by his side._

 _Heaving out a tired sigh, he returned to the paperwork that awaited him._

* * *

"Our spies within Hi no Kuni and Nami no Kuni managed to find information about him." Kitsuchi said while placing a folder onto the table. Attached to it was the image of one blonde boy, a dark haired boy and a white haired boy. "He, and these two boys, killed Gatō's entire mercenary force before capturing him." Kitsuchi informed. "Uzumaki seems to be skilled in Kenjutsu, and _Katon_ Ninjutsu as well. Our spies overheard from a group of mercenaries that this boy attacked Gatō's base the night before his capture and decimated over fifty mercenaries before escaping with three civilians which had been kidnapped earlier that day – one of them being the bridge builder's daughter." Ōnoki regarded the information carefully before opening the folder and finding more information on the boy.

"He seems quite skilled for a Genin." Ōnoki stated in slight surprise. "Graduated at the bottom of his class, how accurate is this information?" Ōnoki asked curiously.

"Quite, Tsuchikage-sama. But with all his skills considered, he should at the least be a Chūnin by now." Kitsuchi stated his opinion. His father nodded before turning to the image attached to the folder.

Ōnoki stared at the picture for about a minute before turning to his son, his face set in stone. Kitsuchi noticed the look and nodded to his father.

"His parentage is unknown but I believe he is the Yondaime Hokage's son." Kitsuchi informed grimly. A shiver ran up his spine as he watched a dark smile form on his father's face.

"That bastard Namikaze's brat, eh?" Ōnoki chuckled darkly. It surprised him how the boy's heritage was unknown in Konoha, but it mattered not to him. "What of the two boys?" Ōnoki questioned.

"Their names are Kimimaro and Haku. They are former accomplices of Momochi Zabuza, the former member of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū." Kitsuchi said while shifting uncomfortably in his spot. The Tsuchikage's killing intent was leaking in the room. "They were hired along with Zabuza to kill the bridge builder but they turned on and killed Zabuza during the final confrontation. It is unknown which one of the two bears the _Hyōton_ bloodline that ended Zabuza." Ōnoki mulled on the information quietly and picked up the picture before turning to his son.

"Place all three of them in the Bingo Book as low to mid B-rank shinobi." Ōnoki commanded his son. Kitsuchi nodded back at the man.

"Understood." And took the silence as his cue to leave the office. As soon as he had left, Ōnoki began chuckling to himself.

"You will finally pay, Namikaze." He muttered darkly as he stared at the crystal blue eyes of the spawn of Iwagakure's most hated enemy.

* * *

Deep within the forests of Hi no Kuni, Team Seven and company were tree-hopping – the fastest way of travel in their forested territory. Academy students were taught how to hop from tree to tree as a means of traveling faster – although unknowingly, it prepared them for when they would have completed their chakra control exercises.

Sakura was currently lagging behind the group due to her small reserves. Despite her having arguably the best chakra control amongst her peers, she lacked the stamina and endurance necessary for long travel. At best, she could manage a few hours before tiring.

Kakashi noticed this and leapt down to the forest floor, the rest quickly following in an organised manner. He turned to the rest of his company and gave them an eye smile.

"Well, Sakura-chan, now you know what you must train harder on." He watched as the girl barely looked up as she waved him off before falling on to her back. The rest of the group merely shrugged and turned away. "Helpful." Kakashi retorted sarcastically before moving to pick up the girl and tossing her over his shoulder.

The rest of the group chatted amicably amongst themselves while Sasuke stood off to the side. Sai had joined the trio of Naruto, Haku and Kimimaro as they discussed various topics – it had been like that for the past two days of travel. Sasuke, being the loner he was, hadn't bothered joining the group, often standing by himself or being bothered by Sakura.

Kakashi raised a hand to block his eye from the sharp rays of the setting sun. They had been travelling at average shinobi speeds since they left Nami no Kuni the other day. They would be within the southern forests of Konoha in a few minutes. Kakashi signalled to the rest of the group and they started moving.

It amused him how Naruto had quickly become friends with Kimimaro and Haku. From their dynamics over the past few days, it seemed as though they'd known each other for years rather than a week. Naruto seemed to be smiling more – something he had done rarely over the past years. Kimimaro and Haku were still experiencing their first days of freedom after being enslaved by Zabuza for nearly a decade.

Just as they were walking, the group tensed as several people appeared before them. They were garbed in black attire with vests, grey chest armour, and arm guards. Sword hilts peeked from their backs and they wore painted porcelain masks – depicting various creatures while hiding their identities from the world. The group watched as the cat masked ANBU walked towards Kakashi.

"Kakashi-senpai." The cat masked ANBU said as she acknowledged him. Kakashi merely gave her an eye smile before chuckling with apparent embarrassment.

"Come now, Neko-chan, I'm no longer your superior." Kakashi said while scratching the back of his head. Neko shook her head slightly before standing at attention.

"Kakashi-senpai, I apologise but this isn't a reunion." Neko said, her voice carrying a serious tone. "Hokage-sama requires the presence of Naruto-kun and the two boys immediately." The two boys glanced at their friend in warily and watched him nod in acceptance.

"Well, you heard the captain." Kakashi said freely. He moved over to Naruto and prodded him forward much to the boy's ire and the ANBU's amusement. "Shoo shoo, you've already caused me too much paperwork already." He watched in amusement when Naruto turned and glared at him. The rest stared amusedly when Naruto turned merely pointed a finger towards Kakashi.

"I know where you live." Naruto said before the ANBU moved and placed their hands on him, Kimimaro and Haku, and they proceeded to disappear in a blur.

Sasuke glanced at Kakashi who's single eye had widened marginally. He blinked for a few moments before shrugging and following Sai who had already left them behind.

* * *

They reappeared before the great gates of Konohagakure no Sato. Kimimaro and Haku looked up in wonder, mesmerised by the size and magnitude of the gates and walls surrounding the village.

"So this is what a hidden village looks like." Haku said, giving off the impression of an excited child. Kimimaro, having been to one before, chuckled.

"Follow me." Neko said while leaping to the rooftops. The three boys followed her while two of her ANBU trailed behind them. "I hear you've been doing quite splendidly with your Kenjutsu, Naruto-kun." Neko said while glancing at the boy trailing behind her.

"It's to be expected as I was taught by the best, Neko-sensei." Naruto replied with a small smile on his face. Neko was the ANBU he had seen battling that particular Jōnin, Gekkō Hayate, his other tutor in the art.

"Of course. Hayate would love to see you, again." Neko responded cheerfully. If that was out of conduct, her subordinates didn't say anything about it. Naruto chuckled as they leapt down to the base of the Hokage Tower.

"I'm sure he would." Naruto finally responded. They continued to walk into the Tower in silence until they reached the Hokage's office. Neko informed them that the Hokage was waiting inside before she and the two other ANBU disappeared.

"Are you two ready?" Naruto asked his two friends. They seemed slightly hesitant and apprehensive before both of them nodded.

"We're ready." Kimimaro stated firmly and Naruto turned and knocked twice on the office door. He stood for a few moments before his sensitive hearing caught the response and he pushed open the door.

* * *

As they walked into the office, Haku was further surprised by the detail within, while it had seemed so simple outside. Glancing at the opposing walls, he could see shelves stacked with books and scrolls brimming with ancient and modern knowledge, begging to find a willing mind to impart itself on.

As he was still looking at the extensive shelf on the left, he noticed a blonde haired man with sharp turquoise eyes garbed in a black uniform and black coat. He could feel the man's impassive gaze on them but paid it no mind.

He then looked towards the desk. Seated by the table was an old man garbed in a red and white robe. The man wore a conical hat with the kanji for fire. Haku immediately assumed that this was the Sandaime Hokage. He had heard fables about this man's reign during the Second and Third Shinobi War – he was an powerful and legendary figure in history, having moulded a part of it himself.

Standing beside the Hokage was a large man garbed in a green short shirt kimono and matching pants, with a red haori over his attire. He had long white spiky hair held back by a horned hitai-ate with the kanji for oil.

Haku watched as his friend went forward and knelt before the three men. Haku, not intending to give a disrespectful impression, knelt beside his friend – he noticed that Kimimaro had followed suit.

"Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sensei, Inoichi-san." Naruto said before he stood up, his friends doing the same. He noticed that Inoichi had raised eyebrow amusedly at the action but he kept quiet.

"Naruto-kun, I see that your mission was successful." The Hokage said with a smile on his face. The boy had been gone for nearly two weeks – the longest he had ever been away from Konoha if he remembered correctly.

Hiruzen glanced at the two boys who stood beside Naruto. He could already tell their lineage by just glancing at them – he had come across several members of both the Kaguya and Yuki clan during the three wars he had led himself.

"It was, Hokage-sama. With the assistance of both Haku and Kimimaro, we managed to bring a stop to Gatō's tyranny." Naruto informed dutifully. That had been his mission besides assisting Team Seven during their mission.

"I'm impressed." Jiraiya said with a small grin. He noticed the small smirk on Naruto's lips. "You used it, didn't you? How was it?" Jiraiya said almost excitedly.

"Explosive." Naruto said with a chuckle. That is, until the Hokage cleared up his throat expectantly, bringing both master and apprentice back to reality.

"These must be the two you informed us about?" The Hokage said in a serious tone. Naruto immediately nodded. He glanced at both his friends and indicated at both of them to speak.

"Kaguya Kimimaro, Hokage-sama." Kimimaro said with a short bow.

"I am Yuki Haku, it is a pleasure to meet you, Hokage-sama." Haku said in a polite manner and a bow.

"Momochi Zabuza controlled them with a seal called the _Tentai no Norōi._ " Naruto began. "I am not sure of its ramifications, but it bound them to his will and command as it was affected by the darkness within him and his chakra." Naruto said in a bitter tone. "Although Haku had that seal, Kimimaro's seal was a slightly altered version that bound his life to Zabuza's own and that if he were to die, so would Kimimaro."

The remaining occupants were visibly surprised by the magnitude of such a seal while Naruto and his friends wore grim expressions. Naruto watched as Inoichi was the first to be broken out of his stupor.

"But judging by the fact that Haku here has Zabuza's blade, we can assume that he is dead, am I correct?" Inoichi inquired curiously. Even up close, Kubikiribōchō didn't do justice to the tales that followed after its destructive usage.

"Kimimaro and I fought Zabuza after Kakashi-sensei had expended his chakra while saving Haku after he had been forced to take a _Raikiri_ to his left lung." Naruto said bitterly. He hoped that Zabuza suffered wherever he was for what he did. "Haku then landed the killing blow." Naruto concluded.

"That still doesn't explain how Kimimaro is still alive if he was bound to Zabuza." Inoichi said. Naruto turned to Jiraiya, who noticed the expression and nodded to him.

" _It_ happened again." Naruto said while stressing the word _'it'._ He watched as realisation dawned on the Hokage and Jiraiya's faces.

"I see." The Hokage responded quietly. Inoichi seemed to want to question yet again but a discrete glance from the Sandaime Hokage told him he was not yet privy of that information. "As per our agreement, Naruto-kun, we will accept them into the village after they're checked clear of the mandatory tests." Naruto nodded at that – it was important for the Village's security after all. "Inoichi will perform the mandatory mind scan for an ill-intent or ulterior motives."

Inoichi moved forward and pulled the chair that was by the Hokage's desk to him. He set it in the middle of the room and turned to the boys.

"Haku-san, if you may?" He inquired and the boy nodded. He removed Kubikiribōchō from his back and handed it to Naruto. He then dubiously proceeded to move to the chair and sat down. Inoichi stood in front of him.

"Take in a deep breath and clear your mind as though you're meditating, this will allow me to enter your mind easily." Inoichi informed and Haku nodded. He then took a deep breath and made peculiar hand seal.

" _Saiko Denshin!"_ Inoichi muttered before placing a hand on Haku's head.

* * *

 _The mindscape is formed and often modelled after a place the owner loved or felt very strongly about. So it came to a surprise to him when he found himself in a snowy plateau standing before a cottage door._

 _The cottage looked simple in exterior design but Inoichi knew how different the inside of traditional looking houses seemed to be as of late. He began walking over the crunchy snow before reaching the door and pushing it open. Once he walked in, there was a small cold gust that went past him which made him shiver slightly._

 _He stepped into the house. It was as simple as it seemed from the outside. There was a wooden dining table in the small kitchen and three doors beyond the living room which seemed to lead to other rooms. All over the room were small icicles; some where on the furniture and some on the floor. Inoichi figured that these were fragments of Haku's memories._

 _Inoichi kept on walking until he reached the slightly open bathroom door. Pushing it open, he walked in but heard a small crunch and noticed he had stepped on one icicle. Suddenly two figures appeared in the room. One small figure was in a bathtub filled with water while the other was helping the child bath._

" _Kaa-chan, when is Tou-chan coming back?" Asked the three year old Haku. The woman, whom he had referred to as his mother, smiled slightly._

" _Your Tou-chan will be back very soon. He just visited Kirigakure to gather more supplies for us." The woman said softly. She then picked up a towel and placed it on her lap before picking up the small giggling Haku._

" _Kaa-chan, I also want to visit the village." Haku said in a childish manner. The thought of seeing a hidden village always excited him especially since he had never been to one._

" _You know we can't do that right now, Haku-chan." His mother responded chidingly. It seemed they had spoken of this before. "But maybe one day you will." His mother said with a small smile before she started tickling the small child._

 _Their laughter resounded in the entire house._

 _Right before Inoichi's eyes, the two figures vanished and he walked out of the door. He went further into the house, seeing more memories of Haku and his parents, as well as those of him and Kimimaro, until he returned to the living room._

 _He hadn't noticed it before, but there was a icicle on the table – one larger than the others he had seen. He knew that this one could be of a particular memory which had affected the owner greatly – whether positively or negatively, it was unknown. He went over to it and crushed it in his palm – they always returned to their previous form after the vision had ended._

 _The room changed yet again and as it was changing, Inoichi could hear several loud voices of grown men and women. As his sharp eyes glanced around, he could see that the tables and chairs had been overturned and doors broken down. In front of him he saw several men and women holding various types of weapons. He recognised one man – Haku's father – standing amongst the group of civilians. They were shouting various insults at someone but the only one he caught was:_

" _Let's kill the other monster!"_

 _He turned – ever so slowly – and saw Haku crouching and weeping over a body that laid on the floor. Inoichi noticed the dark hair and pale face. The figure had placed a hand on the weeping boy's cheek._

" _H-Haku-chan…run!" The woman said in a hoarse and weak tone. Before her hand slumped to the floor with a quiet thump, causing silence to reign in the room._

" _Finally she's dead, let's kill the brat and get this over with." Said one of the more aggressive civilians at the lead. Inoichi watched painfully as Haku wept over his mother's body, begging her to wake up._

" _Kaa-chan, please! I'm sorry for showing them, I won't do it again but just please, please wake up!" Haku continued to beg his mother to wake up. But it all fell on deaf and dead ears._

" _Haku…" Said Haku's father as he moved forward with a brandished knife in his hand – the one he had used to stab his beloved wife. He had tears streaming down his face but his cold expression was firm. "Come with us…"_

 _Haku froze when he heard his father's voice. He then looked up, his eyes showing so much hatred – too much hatred for a child barely six years old. He then stood up and faced his father and the rest of the mob._

" _You killed her!" Haku shouted in both anger and sorrow. "You killed my mother…" He whispered the last part to himself._

" _I had to! People like you and your mother don't deserve to live in this world, only in hell!" Haku's father said as he ran forward. He suddenly stopped when a large ice spike pierced through his stomach._

" _I will never forgive you for what you did." Haku said in a cold voice. "Any of you!" He shouted out in anger and several large ice spikes rose out of the ground and slaughtered the entire mob._

 _Inoichi watched in horrific fascination as all the people were mercilessly killed by a child. He watched as Haku fell to his knees and a loud scream of anguish escaped his throat as he wept at the loss of both his parents. The memory faded like the others had, leaving behind a large icicle on the living room table._

 _Inoichi, having found all he needed and more, walked out of the cottage with a grim look on his face._

* * *

Inoichi gasped slightly as he regained his breathing. His clan's justu – such as the _Shintenshin_ and _Shindenshin_ – which required the user's mind to leave their body, couldn't be used for extended time, because the body needed the mind to function properly.

As Inoichi was regaining his breath, he noticed that Haku had turned pale and a few tears were streaming down his face. Kimimaro and Naruto were immediately by his side. Haku seemed to calm down because of their presence – the most probable case being that his mind was returning to their current time. Haku noticed the questioning gleam in Kimimaro's eyes and he nodded.

It was no secret amongst the two as it had been a recurring nightmare during their childhood. Naruto had recently been told about it, so he assumed the cause of Haku's breakdown was because of that memory. He himself knew how powerful Inoichi's jutsu was from experience.

"I apologise for that, Haku-san." Inoichi said with a small bow. From what he had seen, this boy's loyalty was tied to Kimimaro – and most recently, Naruto. "He's clear, Hokage-sama." He said as he turned to the Hokage.

Hiruzen and Jiraiya had watched on quietly as Inoichi scanned Haku's memories. They trusted him and his skill above many shinobi within the Village. The Hokage nodded in acceptance and watched as Haku swapped places with Kimimaro. The boy seemed to have recovered well from the memory that had broken him down.

" _Saiko Denshin."_

* * *

 _Inoichi entered Kimimaro's mind but was surprised when he came across a white barrier. Putting his hand up to the wall, his surprise increased when it didn't budge._

' _Is this bone?' He mused to himself. It seemed to him that Kimimaro carried the fabled Shikotsumyaku bloodline of the Kaguya clan. He sensed a presence appearing by his side and saw Kimimaro's mental manifestation of himself._

" _I can't allow you to see more than is enough, even I am entitled to my own secrets." Kimimaro stated firmly. Inoichi nodded at that logic._

" _Very well." He agreed and the grassy plateau changed to a small house. He stood outside of it, so he glanced around the area. He seemed to be within a clan compound – of the Kaguya perhaps._

" _Come on, Karura! Stay with me!" The voice of a man spoke with urgency, bordering on desperation, within the small house. Decided to find out more, Inoichi walked into the house._

 _There were several people inside. Two of them stood by the side watching quietly as a man, who had fear etched onto his face, grasped the hand of a woman lying on a bed. Inoichi noticed that there was blood on the floor – childbirth if the coping of a child was anything to go by._

 _Glancing at the two people standing by the side, Inoichi saw the definite features of the Kaguya clan members – dark hair and two red dots on their foreheads. The man who was kneeling next to the bed had pale white hair – similar to Kimimaro's. Although, Inoichi couldn't see more features as the man's body was turned towards the silver haired woman lying on the bed with a small bundle in her arms._

" _U-Urashima…" The woman said in a tired and hoarse voice. "L-look at our little prince…o-our Kimimaro." The woman coughed harshly causing the child to scream in terror._

" _Karura, don't speak!" Urashima said sternly in a fear laced voice. "A medic is on the way to help you." Urashima said in a soft, broken voice._

" _It's already too late, my love." Karura spoke before her eyes started closing slowly. "I love the both of you, Urashi-kun…Kimimaro-kun." She said before her eyes closed entirely and her breathing stopped._

" _Karura…" Urashima spoke in a saddened voice before picking up the small bundle from his lover's cold arms. He held up the child to his face and watched as the child curiously opened his vivid green eyes that reminded him so much of Karura._

 _The man stood up and turned towards the ghastly figure of Inoichi and he was shocked when he saw the man's features. Urashima was pale in complexion and had hairless brow ridges. His most distinctive feature was the pale, featureless eyes._

" _I apologise for this, Kimimaro." Urashima said before his veins appeared on his face and his eyes gained a light lavender hue. He placed a glowing hand on Kimimaro's stomach before moving to his forehead, until the glow disappeared._

" _Haruna." He said, turning to one of the midwives. She was surprised when Urashima handed her Kimimaro. "Please, keep him safe from Kazami." Urashima begged the woman._

" _Where are you going, Urashima-san?" Haruna asked in wonder. She wouldn't mind taking care of the child – he was his nephew after all. She watched as a grimace flashed across Urashima's face._

" _Home." He said while looking outside the moving flaps, before walking out of the house._

 _The memory cracked then shattered into nothingness, and once again, they were standing in the open grass field._

* * *

" _That is how I came to be." Kimimaro said simply._

" _I never expected your father to be a Hyūga." Inoichi said after his shock had subsided. That man bore a striking resemblance to members of the Hyūga clan – even his eyes were the Byakugan._

" _A Hyūga?" Kimimaro asked with a raised eyebrow. "Not at all. No one knew where he came from. He just appeared and became one of the most powerful user's of the Shikotsumyaku to ever grace the clan." Kimimaro said in a proud tone._

" _Where is he now?" Inoichi felt compelled to ask. His curiosity was constantly being piqued tonight._

" _Gone." Kimimaro said as the plateau disappeared and another memory began._

* * *

" _Urgh!" Came the loud grunt of pain. As the vision cleared, a white haired man laid on the ground unmoving._

" _Tou-san!" A young boy screamed as he watched his father fall to the ground. With speed unexpected of him, he dashed towards the man and knelt beside him. With all his strength, he rolled the man over but was shocked when a scream tore through his father's throat. "Tou-san! Who attacked you?! We must get help!" Kimimaro spoke in fear as he watched his father bleed profusely from the chest wound._

" _It's already too late, Kimimaro." Urashima said as he painfully raised his hand and placed it on top of the boy's head. "Kimimaro, listen to me."_

 _He watched as the boy was frantically blabbering in horror. Urashima smiled before ruffling Kimimaro's short hair._

" _My clan was wrong, you are so much like him." Urashima said with a small smile on his face. He coughed harshly for a few moments while waving off the panicking boy. "Kimimaro, please do me a few things." He watched as the boy calmed down slightly. "_ They _will come someday. So find_ him _and grow powerful together. The two of you are brothers, always have been, and always will be." Urashima coughed weakly his hand falling to his side._

" _Tou-san, don't fall asleep!" Kimimaro shouted with tears streaming down his face. He felt weak as he attempted to pull his father towards their compound._

" _The gods will come…" Urashima's weak voice trailed off as he drew in his last breath. It became eerily quiet but that silence was broken by a thumping sound._

 _Kimimaro fell to his knees and began weeping silently. He gazed up at the moon for a moment before falling over his father's body, succumbing to unconsciousness._

 _The memory cracked and shattered once again, returning them to the grassy plains. Inoichi glanced at the boy beside him and noticed the sorrowful gleam in his eyes._

* * *

" _I am curious." Inoichi began. Kimimaro tilted his head to the side. "If your father was neither a Kaguya nor a Hyūga, which clan did he come from? Where did he come from?" He asked. Inoichi felt a small wind pick up where they stood and noticed the slightly narrowed vivid green eyes._

" _I don't know." Kimimaro said simply._

'… _even I am entitled to my own secrets.' Inoichi remembered the warning Kimimaro had given him before showing the first memory._

 _Inoichi merely nodded as the greenery faded only to be replaced by three stone walls and a barred steel caged door. He glanced around the small cell until he spotted a figure seating in the dark corner. Before he could approach the figure, a man appeared by the caged door._

* * *

" _I see you're still hiding in the dark, Kimimaro-kun!" Said the man in a mocking voice. "Sadly for you, your dear Tou-san and Baa-san won't be able to save you this time." The man's voice had gained a dark undertone._

" _I'd rather rot in the dark than join you and the clan on your suicidal ventures, Kazami." Kimimaro said dejectedly from the dark corner of the cell. A menacing chuckle caused the boy to flinch slightly._

" _It doesn't matter now. After I return from taking over Kirigakure with the rest of my clan, I will deal with you!" Kazami said with a dark grin on his lips. Kimimaro's eyes widened but Kazami disappeared quickly before he could speak._

 _Kimimaro vaguely heard war cries coming from the members of his clan as they ran off to the Village. He wasn't sure how long it took, but he vaguely heard feint cries and sounds of explosions coming from the direction of the Village. From his cell, the vantage point gave him clear view of Kirigakure no Sato, but he didn't bother himself with watching his clan's decimation._

 _Kimimaro then heard some shuffling and rustling coming from outside his cell. He wasn't sure if he had fallen asleep or not, but the sky seemed to be darkening slightly, when a shadow peaked through the steel bars. He was surprised when the boy sat in front of the cell, squinting his eyes as though to attempt to see through the darkness._

" _I know you're there." The boy said in a soft voice. "Why are you sitting alone in the dark?" The boy asked curiously._

" _Leave me alone." Kimimaro groaned irritably and turned away from the boy. Just his luck, instead of being bothered by his clan members, this time it was some strange boy._

" _Hey, that's rude! For all you know I was going to help you get out of this cell!" The boy snapped in anger. This kid had the audacity to turn his back on him when he was trying to help._

 _Kimimaro ignored the boy. There was no way he could help him – even he had failed to do it himself and he was gifted with a rare bloodline, even amongst his clan. He was surprised when he heard a clanging noise coming from the bars. He turned and watched in fascination as the black haired boy had placed his hand on the cell's lock. He watched as the silver metal was covered by a frozen layer of light blue before the boy grabbed it and pulled it off, breaking the entire lock._

" _Yes, it worked!" The boy said excitedly while Kimimaro watched amusedly as the boy threw his hands into the air a few times. "Come on, let's go before they come back."_

 _Kimimaro stood up and walked to the broken cell door and pushed it open. He stepped outside – possibly for the first time in weeks – and breathed in some fresh air. He turned to the boy that had helped him out of the cell._

" _My name is Kimimaro." He said offering a hand to the boy. He was surprised when the boy crossed his arms and pouted his lips._

" _Is this what you get for saving people? No 'Thank You'? Being a hero is not what I imagined it to be." The boy said in a defeated tone. His shoulders slumped, sulking._

" _Thank you." Kimimaro said with an amused smile. The boy before him certainly was strange._

" _Yes! That's how it's done." The boy said before grabbing at Kimimaro's outstretched hand. The moment he was pulled, he dusted off his ragged clothes before turning to Kimimaro. "My name is Haku, nice to meet you." The boy said with a bright smile. Kimimaro smiled slightly before losing it as he gazed at the smoking part of the Village._

" _My clan isn't coming back." Kimimaro said in a saddened voice. Despite their mistreatment, they were still his kin. He was surprised when Haku spoke in an equally sad tone._

" _My clan and my family are gone too." Haku said sadly. It had been only a few weeks since that incident. "I have an idea! Why don't we stick together?" Haku said brightly. With this opportunity, he wouldn't be alone anymore. He watched apprehensively as Kimimaro quietly mulled on the idea – until he smiled._

" _I wouldn't mind." Kimimaro said softly. He let out a groan of surprise when Haku tackled him to the ground, giggling the entire time._

 _The memory cracked then shattered like glass, just like the rest of them._

* * *

The rest of the occupants in the room watched silently as Inoichi scanned Kimimaro's mind, until eventually, the man gasped, his mind returning to his body. Kimimaro remained seemingly unfazed as he gathered his bearings quietly.

"Kimimaro-san is also clear, Hokage-sama." Inoichi informed the Hokage after he had recovered from the mind transfer. "Both were initially loyal to Momochi Zabuza until he placed those seals on them during their first years. Now…the only loyalty that remains is to each other." Inoichi said with a small smile. "And Naruto." Inoichi said, surprising the Hokage, Jiraiya and Naruto respectively. Haku nudged an elbow at Naruto's side amusedly.

"It is to be expected, after all. You helped save us from Zabuza's control." Haku said with an amused smile.

Kimimaro joined the two boys and stood by their side wordlessly – Haku was the one more fitted to the emotional aspects when speaking to Naruto. That wasn't to say that he had no emotions, rather, it was that he was less expressive of them – a trait he gained from his father.

Jiraiya watched the three boys interact as though they'd known each other for years, when it had merely been a number of days. It made him happy that Naruto was finally making friends – the first of them being those two boys in Asuma's team. He had always seemed to get along well with those two especially before the _incident._ He listened attentively when his sensei cleared his throat.

"Well, if that is the case, welcome to Konohagakure no Sato." The Hokage said with a warm smile. It warmed his heart to see that Naruto had made friends. "However, there is the issue belying your skill and which rank you must be given if you wish to join the Shinobi System." The Hokage said which piqued the blonde haired interrogator's attention.

"Hokage-sama, considering that they never joined any Shinobi Academy, or any military force, I believe it would suffice if they became Genin until they showcase their skill at the Chūnin Exams that are coming here in a few months." Inoichi suggested in an informative tone. The Chūnin Exams were a bi-annual event, and this time around, they were being hosted by Konoha.

"You do raise a valid point, Inoichi." The Hokage said as he mulled on the idea. The blonde haired man merely nodded his appreciation.

"Let them join my team." Jiraiya said while leaning back on the wall. The three boys were visibly surprised which caused Jiraiya to chuckle. "You three did take down an A-ranked shinobi together, and as far as I can tell, both Haku and Kimimaro trust you, Naruto – and maybe Kakashi on a smaller scale." He said as stated the already known facts. "Besides, you need a four-men team to participate in the Chūnin Exams otherwise you would slave away for years trying to get a field promotion…"

Jiraiya smirked when he noticed Naruto's eyebrow twitch. His sensei chuckled knowing that, despite not having a team, special cases such as Naruto could join the exams on their own – the wandering shinobi, those with no village affiliations, were a prime example of this rule.

"Is that fine with you three boys?" Naruto shrugged while the two boys nodded at the Hokage.

"Welcome to Team Jiraiya…I guess." Naruto said dejectedly. "The big guy over there is your new sensei, the _fabled_ Gama Sennin, Jiraiya." Naruto continued with an ever growing smirk which the two boys noticed. "I wouldn't expect much from him, he's just an old pervert." Jiraiya's eyebrows twitched as he raised a fist menacingly towards Naruto

"You brat, I'm not just a pervert…" Jiraiya said and strangely enough, the man began doing some dance before pulling out an oddly familiar orange book. "I'm a super pervert!" He proclaimed loudly while waving around the orange book.

The three boys watched blankly while Inoichi and Hiruzen palmed their faces muttering how embarrassing Jiraiya was.

"See what I mean?" Naruto said while shaking his head which caused his friends to chuckle in amusement. "He's even going senile thinking that being a 'super pervert' is a right thing."

The chuckles in the room grew louder as they were joined by the two other men. Jiraiya was miffed by Naruto's audacity until he turned to the chuckling men.

"Old Man, don't act as if you don't have a hidden stash of these books in your third drawer and a few more at your house." Hiruzen paled as his not-so-secret stash compartments had been found. The laughter grew at the old Hokage's expense.

"And you, Inoichi!" The blonde haired man immediately raised his hands defensively.

"What did I do!?" The man asked quickly.

"Don't act like I didn't seen you eyeing those books at the civilian bookstore during my meet-and-sign." Jiraiya said in an accusing tone. "I know your daughter wouldn't be so happy if she found out." He said as he finally crossed his arms and watched the blonde man turn pale.

* * *

Inoichi and Hiruzen stayed pale and silent for some minutes and they were brought of their reverie when the three boys disappeared. The Hokage was the first to regain his bearings.

"Where did you send them off to?" The Hokage asked as he watched Jiraiya move to the open window. It still irked him how Jiraiya – and most recently Naruto – used his favourite window as a door. "And where are you going?"

"Home." Jiraiya said as he was about to leap off the edge. "And me? I'm going to do some research." Jiraiya proclaimed excitedly, proceeding to leap of the Tower's ledge.

Hiruzen turned to Inoichi with a serious expression on his face. The man understood the unasked question and began reporting what he saw.

"They are both victims of the Civil War in Kirigakure." Hiruzen nodded having assumed as much. It disgusts him what the Yondaime Mizukage has done to his once powerful village all in the name of fear. "Haku's father killed his mother, and the boy in turn killed his father and the mob organised to hunt him. On the other hand, Kimimaro's mother, Kaguya Karura, died during childbirth while his father, Urashima, was killed by an unknown force." Inoichi finished the report. He was surprised when he found the Sandaime staring at him wide-eyed.

"Urashima?" The Hokage asked in wonder – and if possible, fear. Inoichi nodded slowly at the Hokage's questioning gaze.

"Do you know him, Hokage-sama?" Inoichi asked curiously. This man seemed to have more stories surrounding him other than his death and fathering Kimimaro.

"Yes. I once met him in battle during the Second Shinobi World War." The Hokage informed. That man was powerful. With his skilful usage of the Shikotsumyaku and the Byakugan, they had fought to a standstill. "What did you find out about him? Did he say anything strange?"

Inoichi sensed the urgency in his superior's voice before he thought back to the memory that had shaken him more than it should have.

" _The gods will come."_ Inoichi whispered the words that had – still – caused a shiver to run up his spine.

* * *

 **Tentai no Norōi – Curse of the Heavenly Body:** A fuinjutsu that caused the one the seal is applied on to follow the user's will as long as it is stronger than theirs. It is also affected by the type of chakra the user has, meaning, the darker the chakra, the stronger the control.

 **Raikiri – Lightning Cutter:** S-rank, Offensive; Kakashi's Chidori gained the name "Lightning Cutter" when he used it to split a bolt of this indicates greater finesse with Kakashi's Lightning Cutter than exists with the standard Chidori, it isn't clear how they differ because they are performed in fundamentally the same way: both concentrate lightning chakra in the hand; both are used to rapidly pierce targets; both cannot be safely used without the Sharingan.

 **Saiko Denshin – Psycho Mind Transmission:** Supplementary; The user enters the target's subconscious by placing a hand on the target's head and extracts any information needed, even if the target has forgotten it or has had it blocked. A special device can be used to decrease the time it takes to read the target's mind and allows other ninja to assist. Memories that have mental blocks on them will require longer periods of time to probe through and obtain on the skill of the user and their level of experience, they will be able to go through days worth of the target's memories in a matter of moments and sift through until they find what they want while others may have to go through each memory in its entirety.

 **Shintenshin no Jutsu – Mind Body Switch Technique:** C-rank, Supplementary; Originally, this ninjutsu was suited for intelligence-gathering missions rather than battle. With it, a ninja sends his mind as spiritual energy into a target's body supplanting the target's mind with their own. The user transfers their consciousness to the target, giving them complete control of the body for a short period of time. While in control of the body, the user is able to communicate with the target. Since the user is in another body, they are also able to use that body's chakra. It is also possible for the user to switch bodies with the target. This has great strategic value when used on a team-mate as neither body is left incapacitated and they may also make use of the user's abilities as well as their own while doing this. To remain inconspicuous when spying, the user can perform this technique on an animal, such as a hawk, which they can use to do aerial reconnaissance. It is generally used on immobilised targets.


	8. Discovery II

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Kono Yo no Kyūseishu

" _The stark bright moon was gazing from the skies as with one voice both mouths pronounced the oath." – Nguyên Du_

* * *

The newly formed Team Jiraiya had been leaping on the rooftops of Konohagakure no Sato. The lights of every building currently occupied were gleaming and setting a bright colourful ambient in the darkness of night.

The numerous lights mesmerised the two boys who had barely experienced something such as this. Kimimaro had been able to look over Kirigakure no Sato from his cell but it wasn't nearly as clear and as beautiful as Konoha at night – the perpetual mist had always obscured him from a perfect view.

"Where are we going?" Kimimaro asked. They'd been leaping on rooftops for quite some minutes now, heading towards the opposite end of the village – which was quite the distance from the Hokage Tower.

"Home." Naruto said with a smile on his face. He seemed almost excited at the prospect of taking his new friends to his home. "Now, as fast as you can, follow me." Naruto said before he blurred away, Haku and Kimimaro following suit.

They sped for around two minutes, leaving the bright city behind and entering the forests. They slowed down and dropped to the forest floor.

"This way." Naruto said and they followed quietly. They eventually broke through the barrier and right in front of them was a simple traditional looking house.From the outside, it didn't seem to be lavish. There was an array of flowers that seemed to surround the entire house.

"Usually, the house is hidden under a barrier but since you arrived here with me, it registered my chakra." Naruto said in a proud tone. "If you were to walk back beyond the barrier, you would see nothing but trees."

Fuinjutsu truly is an impressive art. Naruto was still learning the basics of it, but in time, he would be able to create such seals.

The boys walked towards the front door. Like a traditional Japanese home, the house was made of wood and had a wooden sliding door. Once they climbed the short staircase, they stood in front of the door. Naruto placed his right hand on the door before pouring chakra from it to the door. With a light click, it was unlocked and Naruto slid the door open.

"Welcome to my home." Naruto said expressively. He truly seemed happy that he was bringing people to his home. Kimimaro and Haku followed Naruto into the house and they were not disappointed.

They took off their shoes before walking through the _genkan._ Although it seemed traditional from the outside, it was modernised inside. The walls were painted a light silver – a colour which Naruto seemed to favour. There were dim lights above on the ceiling that caused shadows to follow them as they headed towards the black _fusuma_ sliding door. Naruto slid the door open as they entered the _ima_.

Though it was modernised with three sets of light brown couches, there was still a secluded section, the _washitsu,_ with several tatami mats around a brown wooden table. Opposite one couch, by the wall, was a shelf stocked with books and scrolls.

"Welcome home." Naruto said with a smile. He could see that his friends were still in awe – this place was far better than Tazuna's home, in his humble opinion. "This is the living room and over there…" He said pointing to the open room. "That's the washitsu, as you would have noticed."

Kimimaro and Haku continues to look around, Haku even going to peek into the washitsu to see more of it, before returning to the others. "This is a really nice place, Naruto." Haku said, to which Kimimaro showed his agreement with a nod.

"I'm glad you like it." Naruto said with an assertive nod. "Follow me, I'll show you the other rooms." Naruto said before heading to the opposite door which led to another corridor.

* * *

The wooden floors quietly creaked under the weight of the man walking of them. Given his stature, the floors were unfazed by him – unlike the battalions of warriors whom would retreat the moment he entered the battlefield. Despite his advanced age, he still triggered a familiar sense of fear to his foes, even the other Kage respected him.

Hiruzen silently went down the staircase that led from his secret storage in the Hokage Tower. His face was marred with a visible frown – what he had learned was a monumental discovery for him and _them_.

The Shinobi World.

Earlier, when Inoichi has told him of his findings, he had been visibly shaken – with a reason too.

Urashima. He hadn't heard of that man in nearly two generations. That man was ranked amongst the most powerful opponents he had ever fought since he became a shinobi.

He had earned that man's trust, though.

It had been amidst the Second Shinobi World War when they met in the battlefield. At the time, his three students, had been dispatched to the borders of Amegakure, while he led his forces to defend the southern borders of Hi no Kuni against Kirigakure no Sato.

* * *

" _Kuchiyōse! Come forth, Enkōō: Enma" Hiruzen shouted out as he slapped the barren ground, a seal appearing on the the ground. In a puff of smoke, a rather middle-aged looking monkey wearing a black body suit and a sleeveless kimono shirt with white fur trimmings and tiger stripes, appeared._

" _You know I despise war, Hiruzen." Enma said in a deep voice. He heard Hiruzen chuckle beside him and turned to him with a knowing grin._

" _So do I, old friend." Hiruzen said to his partner. "But we have a bit of a problem here, it would be unwise to let him tear through our ranks." Hiruzen said sternly._

 _Enma turned to their opponent and showed some semblance of surprise, which caused Hiruzen to frown a bit. Their opponent, garbed in a white traditional kimono, with the top hanging around his waist, had several bones protruding from his body – and strangely enough, two bone horn-like protrusions on his head._

" _It can't be…" Enma trailed off when he stared into the man's pale lavender eyes. As a young infant, he had been told stories of_ them. _Two had been revered as gods after all._

" _Enma, this isn't the time to stare." Hiruzen sternly ordered his partner. "Henge: Kongōnyōi!" Enma nodded before transforming into his infamous staff form._

" _Be very careful, Hiruzen." Enma started cautiously. "His kind are said to be very ruthless." He felt himself being twirled professionally in the hands of his partner._

" _All Kaguya are ruthless, Enma." Hiruzen said as he finished his sequence and pointed his staff towards his opponent. "It's a known fact." He said before blurring towards his opponent._

" _Cocky, aren't you?" The white haired Kaguya said with a tilt of his lips. He reached to his back, and in a disgusting fashion, ripped out his own spine, which caused Hiruzen to stumble slightly in shock and stop his attack._

" _What the fuck…" Hiruzen said disgustedly as he watched the man swing around his spine like a whip._

" _Tessenka no Mai: Tsuru!" The man said calmly. "Come, Hiruzen. Show me the Sandaime Hokage's fabled might." The man said as he whipped around his spine._

" _Gladly." Hiruzen then sped towards his opponent. The Kaguya pulled back his whip, attaching it to form a staff before clashing with Hiruzen several times. There were small reverberations where they clashed, distorting the dust and mist around them._

 _Around them were several battles being fought. The shinobi of Hi no Kuni were held at a slight disadvantage due to them battling near bodies of water such as streams and rivers, as well as the larger body of water – the sea – some ways away from Hiruzen. He had to win his battle in time to turn the tides of this ongoing battle._

" _Katōn: Karyū Endan!" Hiruzen intoned as he breathed out several dragon looking flame bombs. The Kaguya, in his defence, flicked his whip around,_ cutting _through the flame bombs, causing them to implode. "Damn it!" Hiruzen cursed._

 _The smoke hid his opponent from his senses, but Enma's keener senses were accurate. "Dodge!" Hiruzen leapt to the left and watched the bone whip tear through the ground where he had been standing. "I told you to be careful, Hiruzen!"_

" _Stop worrying so much, Enma." Hiruzen said assuredly as they waited for their opponent to appear. The smoke and dust were already dissipating, so it would only be a few moments._

 _Checking himself out in the meantime, he realised that he was more wounded than he thought. Before he summoned Enma, he had been battling the Kaguya for the past twenty to thirty minutes and the high speed battle had begun taking its toll. He was brought back to the present when his opponent blurred towards him with speed reminiscent of his late sensei._

 _Hiruzen and the Kaguya clashed several more times, at times managing to land hits on each other but as soon as Hiruzen got the upper hand, he would be out on the defence when the formed staff of the Kaguya returns to its deadly whip form._

" _Kakuchō!" Hiruzen said as he blindsided his opponent, extending his staff to land a solid hit on the Kaguya's side. Spinning around quickly, he smacked the Kaguya's chest with much force, causing him to be thrown in the direction of a tree. Before he could exploit the advantage, he felt something grappling his ankle and tossing him to the side – into a lake._

" _I wasn't expecting that." Hiruzen said as he appeared out of the water. Before his entire body could appear, he felt it being dragged by heavy waters._

" _Sūiton: Suirō!" The Kaguya said as he appeared behind Hiruzen, forming the prison and placing his hand on it. "Now, can we speak_ civilly."

" _Hiruzen!" Shouted the transformed Enma, who in his staff form had slipped out of his partner's hands, as he was quickly tossed into the lake._

" _Rest easy, Enma, I mean you nor Hiruzen no harm." The Kaguya – surprisingly – spoke in a calm and civil manner._

" _Why must I trust your kind, ketō? We have been warned of you…" Enma stayed harshly. Enma watched as the man smiled at him with no hint of malice._

" _Worry not. I am not_ that _kind, I'm afraid." The man said with a placating smile. "I come bearing a message – oh, I apologise for that Hiruzen." The man said as he released his jutsu. He watched Hiruzen step away and regain his bearings._

" _What message, from whom?" Hiruzen demanded while reaching for his pouch. He was stopped by Enma who grabbed his hand._

" _The cycle has begun once again.." The man started causing the two others show their surprise – Enma more-so than Hiruzen. "I see you know what I speak of, Enkōō." The man stared while staring directly into the Monkey King's eyes._

 _Enma has froze up for far longer than Hiruzen was comfortable with. Then, the Enkōō, the great Monkey King, fell to his knees causing Hiruzen much distress._

" _Hiruzen." The Sandaime Hokage was shocked when the Kaguya appeared in front of him, staring into his eyes and whispering strange words._

 _Suddenly, like Enma, Hiruzen fell to his knees, eyes wide open with shock written on his face. 'That can't be…'_

" _I have rather the unfortunate ability to tell the future, but I cannot tell what comes after all of this…" The man trailed off, a frown marring his hairless brow ridges. "However, in time, the gods shall descend upon us, Hiruzen. You both have arole in all of this. When the time comes, you will know what to do." The man said as while glancing up at the sky._

" _Wait!" Came the rough voice of the Enkōō. "Why have you shown me this? Surely Gamamaru-" Enma was cut off before he could speak._

" _Gamamaru has always known, Enma, even before myself." The man said with a small smile. "And as for why I have shown you what I did…you will be the one to help Hiruzen – you are his partner after all, are you not?" The man said in a light tone. "Their destiny lies in your hands – both of you."_

 _Enma nodded weakly as he accepted what he had been told. As the heir of their kingdom, this_ mantle _had been passed on to him. It was bound to happen – it had certainly grown to be a myth until now._

" _But why me? Why? Tell me!" Hiruzen said as he punched the waters below him. He felt a hand being placed on his shoulder before looking up to the man._

" _We share the same burden and the same fate, Hiruzen." The man said with a small sad smile. "We may not live through the revolution, but we will bring means to its fruition."_

 _The man, then, stood to his full height and walked to stand before his two former opponents. Right before their very eyes, the most interesting thing happened._

" _As I speak at the moment, one god has been found and an old one conspires." The man said, his formerly lavender eyes turning a light blue and forming a white and yellow flowery pattern. "Your roles have not yet begun but be wary. There lies another force in the darkness – an old force, one far older than I."_

 _Before their very eyes, the man began emitting a light blue-green chakra from his body, before floating into the air._

" _Wait!" Hiruzen shouted out to the man, who paused his transcendence. "Before you leave, you haven't told us your name, yet you know ours!" Hiruzen said while trying to hide his slight awe – he never expected to meet someone with the same unique ability he had seen in Ōnoki, although it seemed vastly more powerful._

" _My Clan name is the same our charges', but you may call me Urashima." The now known, Urashima, said before flickering out of existence._

 _The area around that was silent for a moment until the sounds of the ongoing battle returned to them. Hiruzen glanced around only to find himself – strangely enough – dry and still standing on the battlefield with his adamantine staff in his hand._

" _Enma, what just happened?" Hiruzen began warily. He felt his staff slip out of his hand as Enma reverted to his original form. The serious look in his eyes alerted Hiruzen._

" _Hiruzen, we shall tell no one of this, understood?" The Monkey King said in a gruff but stern tone. "What we just saw,_ who _we just saw, is for us alone – not even your brats." Enma concluded with folded arms._

' _Of course not. If they found out…I'm so sorry.' Hiruzen thought grimly to himself._

* * *

Hiruzen listened on as the wooden floors quietly creaked under his feet as he reached the exit of the tower. He glanced up at the moon with a small frown.

' _Such a powerful entity…'_ He thought before dismissed the entire track. ' _I pray you are right, Urashima.'_

* * *

"I'm home." Inoichi said as he closed the door with an audible click.

Unlike most clans, the Yamanaka Clan has always opted for more modernised facilities. Hence their house seemed like any other modern house in the village – although smaller for his family alone.

"Hey, Daddy!" Came the loud voice of his little princess. His daughter, Ino, always managed to bring a smile to his face. "Dinner's almost ready." Ino said as she peeked through the kitchen door with a beautiful smile.

Inoichi moved towards the lounge and placed his bag by the couch – he had documents to certify thanks to the two new recruits. He turned towards the stairs as his wife descended with a beautiful, disarming smile – his daughter certainly inherited her best traits.

"Good evening, dear." His wife said as she approached him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You seem a bit tense."

Inoichi merely smiled as she went around him and started pulling off his coat for him. His wife – his blessing in disguise – knew him better than almost everyone, sans his best friends.

"It's just what Hokage-sama called me for." Inoichi said as he shuffled out of his coat. "At least the kid is making friends now." He said as he turned back to his wife, who was folding his coat.

"Who, if I may ask?" His wife said as she hung his coat by the coatrack.

"Naruto." Inoichi watched as his wife's eyes widened slightly before gaining a warm but yet somber look – he understood.

"How is young Naruto-kun?" She asked curiously. "It's been a while since I've seen him. He certainly looks like Minato-kun now." She said with a small laugh at Inoichi's reaction.

Inoichi sputtered slightly before regaining his composure – he could never forget how much his wife was interested in his late friend during their youth.

"He's much better than the last time…" He trailed off when he noticed the sad look in his wife's eyes. "Don't worry so much about him, Hiyori. He has a family in Jiraiya-sama and the Sarutobi clan. _She_ wouldn't want you to be so down about what happened back then, especially since he's moving on and becoming better."

Inoichi watched as his wife sombrely stared at the ground before looking back up at him with a small smile.

"I suppose you're right, dear." Hiyori said in a soft voice. "Come, let's help Ino set up."

Suddenly there was a loud thump and a curse following that sound. It seemed Ino had hurt herself – again.

"Language, dear!" Hiyori reprimanded her daughter. She softly shook her heard to Inoichi's laughter at Ino's muffled response.

"Sorry, Mother!"

* * *

'" _Minato-kun" ? "Last time"? "Moving on"? What the hell is that about? And why is it revolving around Naruto?'_ Ino thought as she walked back into the kitchen.

She had been setting up the table when she overheard her parents speaking about Naruto. Normally, she wouldn't have been as interested, but after what occurred the last time she saw him, she definitely was curious about him.

' _Who is Uzumaki Naruto?'_ Had been the question to occupy her mind for the last weeks. She hadn't found much but what she knew shocked her quite a bit.

The villagers – especially the civilians – hated Uzumaki Naruto. Why? She hadn't managed to find that out. And at this point, Naruto was the only one she could ask. She had tried asking her teammates but they hadn't budged at all – even when she attempted to bribe Chōji with a buffet worth five D-rank mission savings, he hadn't budged. And that was saying something about the plump boy.

' _Seems there's more about him than I expected.'_ Ino thought as she paced around in the kitchen. ' _I guess that's more information to my investigation.'_

"We're waiting, Princess." Inoichi called from the dining room. Ino immediately fetched the tray and balanced it on her palm like a waitress – those infiltration classes in the Academy actually taught her some valuable lessons.

"Coming, Daddy!"

* * *

 _Breathe in._

 _Breathe out._

 _In._

 _In._

 _No, out!_

 _Out._

 _Inhale_

 _Exhale._

 _An audible click to his left caused him to lose focus of his attempt at meditation. He shifted in his bed, seating up against the backboard, in order to make his guest more welcome – standard manners he had been taught during his time here._

 _The man walked into the room, his long black coat following behind like a tail. His blonde hair – tied in a ponytail – swung left and right as he moved. The man pulled a chair from a table by the corner, and sat down, facing his charge with a warm smile._

" _Good morning, Naruto-kun." The man's calm voice bounced along the dull white walls of the room. He could not find the hesitation that had lingered in the boy's eyes when they'd begun these sessions, as he responded._

" _Good morning, Inoichi-san." Naruto said to the blonde man. "How are you?" The boy asked, tilting his head slightly._

" _I am well, thank you." Inoichi replied to the boy – had it been months ago, he would have expected a more boisterous response. "How are you?"_

 _Then he saw it. Hesitation, fear, doubt – all three invaded the boy's eyes for a few moments. He watched as the boy opened his mouth to speak._

" _I-" Naruto paused. It shouldn't have been difficult to reply to the man's question. Their daily sessions had gotten them to reach a certain level of trust to each other, so why hesitate? "I could be better." The boy finally replied while clenching his fists, dishevelling the linen sheets he had been provided for his stay here. "It's the dreams – nightmares – they always come back."_

 _Inoichi watched the boy conflict with himself. Logic was telling him that these night terrors were merely a figment of his imagination but reality told otherwise. He had been right with his decision._

" _Naruto." The boy perked up – the man would always call him by his name without any suffixes when he was about to tell him something important. "I have spoken with Hokage-sama –" A warm glimmer entered the boy's eyes. " – And we think it'll help if you are discharged from the Hospital and stay with Hokage-sama and his family." Inoichi concluded with a small smile._

 _It wasn't wasted at all. The blonde boy immediately perked up, although his expression didn't say much, his eyes – cerulean and empty – spoke for him. A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips as he thought about them – his other family. He missed them dearly – his older brother-figure, Asuma, his little minion, Konohamaru, his uncle and aunt figures, Konohamaru's parents, and finally, his grandfatherly-figure, the Old Man._

 _They had come by to see him a few times. Asuma with his friend, Kurenai. Hokage-jiji had come by with the excitable Konohamaru who'd gone on and on about how his 'aniki' had 'fought off so many bad guys that he finally got tired and had to sleep at the hospital for some weeks' – his story wasn't far off. Those two had always been accompanied by Inu, his shadow protector. He was brought out of his thoughts when Inoichi spoke._

" _Is that fine with you, Naruto-kun?" Inoichi asked expectantly. He already knew the answer – the boy was loved by the Sarutobi clan after all._

" _Yeah, it is." Naruto said with a smile – the first one he had given since the 'incident'._

* * *

Naruto woke up with a blink. He was in his room, laying flat on his bed and staring at the ceiling. Glancing at the window on the wall behind his bed, he noticed the still grey skies begin to be pierced by small golden rays.

Shifting himself to sit up against the backboard, he began his daily routine. During his sessions after the incident, Inoichi had stressed the importance of meditation and how vital it was for him, especially during his healing. Later on, Hokage-jiji had taught him the essentials of meditation – it was a method to balance oneself. The Hokage had applied it to chakra theory and had used his father and his sensei as examples.

Sages, he had called them. Masters of chakra. Ones who had a method of gaining unlimited power through balancing the physical, spiritual and natural aspects of chakra. Although he had never seen it, the little he had been told had made him greatly interested in chakra theory.

It was exactly why he excelled with ninjutsu – he _understood_ chakra far better than most of his generation. Chakra is life, and life is an inherent trait in everyone. As long as one breathed, moved, talked – they had chakra. So, when he had lived with the Sarutobi for about a year or two, he had taken to all the lessons he had been given by the old Hokage like a sponge.

Kami no Shinobi.

Back when he'd begun to learn under the Sandaime Hokage, he'd been surprised – shocked even – when he'd found out that his Jiji was one of three who'd earned that moniker. The first had been – up to that point – a myth to him and so many others.

The Rikudō Sennin. His birth-name had been lost in time, as well as many of his exploits – although, not all. Hokage-jiji once told him an old tale – the most popular one about the first Kami no Shinobi.

The tale of a Rabbit Goddess and her two sons.

Most of it had been lost but the ending was the same. A powerful Goddess ended all wars and brought peace to the world, but, she grew mad with power and summoned a great beast. Only the two sons of the goddess were able to face their mother. In time, the Goddess was defeated and the elder son spread the teachings of chakra to the world.

The elder son was, according to history, the Rikudō Sennin, the supposed progenitor of the Kaguya, Senju, Uchiha and Uzumaki clans. His ancestor.

Naruto laid back and sighed. If what Jiraiya had told them months back and the unexplainable ability he has used twice, the Rikudō Sennin could very well be his ancestor – Kekkei Genkai were inherent through blood, after all. Shaking his head, he shuffled out of his stepped onto the dark wooden floors, before the sun started blinding him – although that never happened due to the dark grey walls of his room.

' _I can't be the fourth to earn the moniker if I stay in all day.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he headed to the bathroom.

* * *

Sitting by the high table in the kitchen, Kimimaro calmly sipped his tea while reading through a scroll. It had been a few days since their arrival to Konoha, and without much to do due to the reprieve they were given, he usually spend his days reading whatever he could find on the bookshelf in the lounge – which Naruto had supposedly gone through, most of them at least.

He could hear sounds of clashing metal right outside in the backyard training field. Haku had taken to learning how to use Kubikiribōchō with Naruto's assistance. Haku was learning to use the sword very well, while Naruto had another sparring partner other than his tutors.

Hearing a door being slid open, he glanced to the right and noticed Jiraiya entering with a grin on his face. Having learnt quickly that the man's exuberance was a risk to him and those around him, Kimimaro wasted no time tearing it down.

"What is it now?" Kimimaro said irately. Jiraiya, as legendary as he may be, was more annoying than Haku when they were children – and that was something. "And I already said no to stalking young girls with you like a predator." He said with narrowed eyes. Jiraiya, who had lifted a finger to make a point, visibly deflated and started shedding tears.

"Why don't I get any respect anymore?" He shouted out animatedly while pointing upwards.

Kimimaro merely stared for a moment before turning back to his scroll, letting the man finish up with his theatrics. A few moments later, Jiraiya started.

"Anyway, where are the two brats?" He asked excitedly and at that moment, Naruto and a slightly bruised Haku walked into the kitchen. "Great! Now that you're here, I have news for you three." Jiraiya said.

"What's up, Jiraiya-sensei?" Haku asked as he put his sword against the wall before sitting on a stool by the high table. Naruto merely stood watching expectantly. Jiraiya fished into his pocket and pulled out two headbands.

"You two are officially members of Team Jiraiya." Jiraiya said with a broad grin that was mirrored by Haku. "And we have our first mission tomorrow."

"Yosh!" Haku said as he grabbed his own headband and tied it around his neck. Kimimaro took his and placed it on the table – he'd decide later when to wear it.

"So what's the mission?" Naruto finally asked. It had been nearly two weeks since his last mission – action to be precise.

"Well, the old man asked me to go look for my old teammate…" Jiraiya replies with a growing lecherous grin. "But I can't exactly go on alone since she has to be here before the Chūnin Exams." He said shaking his head.

"We're going to look for Tsunade-oba-san?" Naruto asked curiously which resulted in all three members of Team Jiraiya staring at him. "I mean, she is part Uzumaki, and so am I, which makes us distant cousins at the least." Naruto concluded with a slight frown. "And Kimimaro too."

"Hmm…" Jiraiya hummed in thought. "I suppose you're right. How'd you know all of that anyway – the relations I mean?" Jiraiya asked.

He was genuinely curious – it had completely slipped his mind. He noticed Kimimaro looking less apathetic and more interested in what Naruto had to say.

"The Uzumaki and Kaguya clans are both branches of the Senju clan, and they share the same ancestor with the Uchiha clan too." Naruto stated his findings. "It's no secret too, I've heard Sasuke gloat about his clan more than I would like to hear."

"My father once mentioned something about our clans being related, I suppose he was right." Kimimaro stated calmly.

"If she's your age, then she must be really old since you have white hair." Haku said tossing in a jab at his sensei.

"Uhm, yeah…please don't call her aunt, granny or old. She'll obliterate you with her pinky." Jiraiya said fearfully, his face turning a bit pale. "Anyways, pack up for a month, at least. I'm going to see the old man."

"Hai, sensei." The three boys nodded to Jiraiya as he left the house.

* * *

Two clicks.

Six and One.

' _Damnit!'_

"Well, pretty lady, it seems you've lost again." A gruff but skinny looking man said as he reached for his opponents – his chips.

"I'll double for another round!" Came a loud but hoarse voice from the man's opponent. The man merely smiled, his eyes trailing down to the woman's huge bosom.

"What are you going to pay with then, pretty lady? I'm sure I have all your chips now." The man said while staring at the bosom. The blonde haired woman seemed irked by that, but he felt it more enticing.

"Tsunade-sama, I think that's enough for to-" The younger lady behind the blonde one, now identified as Tsunade, said.

"I'm not leaving until I beat him, Shizune~" Tsunade said, her voice slurring over words due to the copious amount of alcohol she'd consumed. "If you win~, you can have me for the night~" Tsunade said causing Shizune to react.

"But Tsunade-sama –"

"Shut up, Shizune!" Tsunade shouted at the younger lady. Shizune merely adopted a look of resignation as she stepped back and started patting her pet pig. "You!" Tsunade shouted at the fourth person in the room, startling him. "Roll those dice, I choose twelve."

"Yes, ma'am!" The young boy said as he put the dice in a bamboo cup. "And you, sir?" He asked glancing at the older man.

"Nine." The man said with a smug and lecherous expression. His price wouldn't only be the money he'd won tonight, but also a gorgeous woman with a gigantic bosom.

Tsunade and Shizune, watched in silent trepidation, as the boy shook the cup with the dices. Tsunade had been an unusually long losing streak lately, but she hopped she could break it tonight. It wasn't looking good but she still hoped. If her opponent won, she would flee the city yet again.

She was good at that, at least.

Suddenly the boy stopped shaking and overturned the cup on the table. Slowly, he removed the cup did the players to see the die.

Six and Six. A perfect Twelve.

Strangely enough, Tsunade didn't react as she waited for the boy to complete her opponents set. The boy shook and eventually overturned the cup on the table.

Five and Two.

"No!" The man shouted after he had suddenly stood up. "Boy, you cheated for her!"

"What? No!" Shouted the young boy. "It was a fair game just as the previous ones!"

"Why you little…Tenji, Kōrō! Bring the boys in here!"The man said, stumbling towards the boy, reaching out to grab him by the collar. "We'll teach this brat and bitches a lesson."

He was stopped, however. A hand had fully grasped his arm so tightly that he couldn't move. He tried pulling it away but it wouldn't budge.

"Leave him alone." Said a cold voice.

And that's when the man felt it. A feeling colder than the pits of Yuki no Kuni. He'd felt the feeling before when he'd run into the shinobi there, before he was captured for questioning.

Hundreds of ice needles all around him.

He, like the time he had faced something like this, subsequently dropped unconscious due to the fear he felt for his life.

"I really hate such scum." The blonde haired boy said as he added a kick to the ribs for good measure, while the ice needles around him dissolved into water puddles. Turning to the boy he'd protected, he tilted his head questioningly. "Are you okay?"

The boy, never having seen such a sight in his life, nodded fearfully causing the blonde haired boy to frown slightly.

"Yeah, I'm okay." The boy said as he stood back up. He had fallen over a small table when he was about to be attacked. He took in a deep breath, calming himself. "Yeah. Thank you…" He said expectantly.

"Naruto." The blonde haired boy said before turning to the rest of his group. "It's safe to leave, his body guards have been handled." The older boy nodded before jogging out of the room, rushing to the safe abode that is his home.

Tsunade watched on quietly, a glimmer of familiarity entering her eyes as she saw the boy's features. Spiky, blonde hair, three fading whisker like marks on each cheek and those very, very familiar, cerulean blue eyes.

"Minato?" Tsunade asked in wonder. It was impossible. The boy she knew had passed on years ago. She watched as the blonde boy turned to her, curiously, and tilted his head in a very familiar manner.

"Sorry, oba-san." The boy said with a small smile adorning his features. Tsunade eye's widened, much more than her apprentice's eyes when the boy finally responded.

"I'm Naruto. Namikaze Naruto."

* * *

 **Kuchiyōse no Jutsu – Summoning Technique:** C-rank, Offensive-Defensive-Supplementary; The Summoning Technique is a a high-level technique, which utilises space–time ninjutsu to transport animals or people across long distances instantly and uses blood as a sacrifice. Before an animal summoning can be performed, a prospective summoner must first sign a contract with a given species. The contract comes in the form of a scroll, on which the contractor uses their own blood to sign their name and place their fingerprints and once signed it is valid even after the contractors death as long as the contract itself remains intact. After this, they need only offer an additional donation of blood on the hand they signed the contract with, mould their chakra with hand seals and then plant the hand they signed the contract with at the location they wish to summon the creature. The amount of chakra used during the summoning determines how powerful the summoned creature can be. It is possible for a summoner to summon a group of the same contracted animal, as opposed to a single individual.

 **Henge: Kongōnyōi – Transformation: Adamantine Staff:** B-rank, Offensive; This is a unique version of the Transformation Technique used by Monkey King: Enma. Enma transforms himself into a staff that is as hard as a diamond. Taking advantage of this, Enma can clone himself to create a cage around his summoner in order to defend against attacks. Despite its hardness, Enma stated that he could still suffer pain.

 **Tessenka no Mai: Tsuru – Dance of the Clematis: Vine:** The first half of Kimimaro's fourth dance – also used by his father, Urashima. With the Shikotsumyaku, the user can modify and pull out his own spinal column, and regrow a new spine to replace it. Between the bones in the gaps there is cartilage that allows flexibility, which makes it possible to bend it as if it were a whip. With average estimation skills along with the impossible range it stretches, dodging is difficult. The protrusions on the vertebrae are modified to make them stronger and sharper. He would follow up with Dance of the Clematis: Flower to pierce the immobilised opponent.

 **Katōn: Karyū Endan – Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bombs:** B-rank, Offensive; The user kneads their chakra into flames, which are then manipulated into a genuine-looking dragon. The flames are so hot that it could turn its victim into ash in a matter of seconds. Since the art of having the flames obey the user's will is highly difficult, only a few shinobi have mastered it.

 **Sūiton: Suirō – Water Release: Water Prison:** C-rank, Supplementary; This technique traps a target in a sphere of water; the water can either be drawn from the surroundings or expelled from the user's mouth. The water that the sphere is made from is noticeably heavy, which restricts the target's movements and can make breathing difficult. As such, those trapped within the water prison cannot ordinarily escape on their own. In order to maintain the prison, users must stay in contact with the sphere, typically by keeping an arm submerged within it.


	9. Discovery III

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Kono Yo no Kyūseishu

" _Family - it's all about family. Families feeling safe and finding your safe place." – Noma Dumezweni_

* * *

" _You know, oba-san, I hope when little Naruto comes he'll look just like you and Tou-san." Kushina giggled at Tsunade's appalled expression._

Tsunade's eyes widened more as she gazed at the boy before her.

" _I fear he'll look more like Minato and will most likely have to break a few hearts in his youth." Tsunade chuckled amusedly with her niece. That bit of experience had sobered up Jiraiya's beloved disciple._

She watched the blonde boy in front of her stand upright and narrow his eyes at the seemingly bare wall.

"I know you're there, Ero-Sennin." Naruto said as he glared at the wall.

Suddenly, a white stick pierced through the wall from the outside, causing the formerly invisible man to screech as his _**Meisagakure no Jutsu**_ faded.

"You could have killed me, you brat!" Jiraiya screamed out while clutching over his heart dramatically. "Tsunade-hime, please save me!"

He leapt towards Tsunade with tears akin to a waterfall streaming down his face. That is, until a hand quickly grabbed his neck and dropped him to the wooden floor.

"Even after all these years, you damned pervert." Tsunade whispered while glaring at the man who was turning blue from a lack of oxygen.

"Uh, Tsunade-sama I think he's dying." Shizune muttered from behind her master.

"That's the idea." Shizune visibly deflated when she heard that statement. She merely said her prayers for the man, until a dark haired boy walked in being followed by a tall silver haired boy.

"Ah, Tsunade-sama I apologise but we still _need_ this pervert." Haku said, walking in with his arms raised placatingly.

Tsunade glanced at the three boys – one of the, she noticed, retracted that white spear like thing into his body. _A Kaguya_ and _a Yuki._

Soon enough, she let go of the man beneath her, who then gasped dramatically while stumbling to his knees.

"That's what you get for peeping on unsuspecting women." Kimimaro stated coldly as he glared at his sensei. Naruto chuckled amusedly before turning his attention to Tsunade.

"It's good to finally meet you, Tsunade-obasan." Naruto was surprised when Tsunade suddenly pulled him and enveloped him in a fierce hug.

"It's so good to finally meet you, Naruto-kun." She said with tears staining his shoulders.

Only one word echoed through his mind.

Family.

* * *

 _Naruto ran through the hallways, swerving and ducking around the several people he'd come across._

" _That brat is at it again." Asuma chuckled alongside his masked brother._

 _Ever since Naruto had begun living with the Sarutobi clan, each day had become more interesting than the last._

" _Well he is Kushina-san's son." The two brothers chuckled yet again._

 _They'd met her often times during their youth and were often bewildered by the late redhead's excitable nature._

 _Naruto kept on running until he reached two sliding doors at the end of the hallways. Knocking respectfully, he entered after receiving confirmation._

" _Hi Jiji." The young eight year old ran in excitedly and leapt at the old man who was seated by a table, waiting expectantly._

" _Good morning, Naruto-kun." Hiruzen smiled at the boy. "I reckon you're here early to learn more about your family before our lessons?"_

 _The boy nodded excitedly._

" _Well, where to start?" The old man mulled over the last conversation. He had told Naruto about his parents briefly. "How about your mother?"_

 _As expected, the boy nodded excitedly yet again._

" _Your mother, Kushina was born in Uzushiogakure no Sato." He started, Naruto nodded again. "Her father was from Konoha, though, while her mother was an Uzumaki."_

 _The boy's eyes widened in surprise. He had thought his grandparents were both Uzumaki._

" _However, when she was young – about your age – she was brought to Konoha and adopted by her father's grandmother." Hiruzen glanced at the boy before continuing. "Her father, Senju Tsukasa, died protecting the Uzushiogakure when it was attacked during the Second Shinobi World War."_

 _Naruto's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't known that his ancestral home had been destroyed. He felt greatly saddened by this reveal. That meant he truly was alone in this world – the last Namikaze_ and _Uzumaki._

 _Hiruzen patted the boy's head encouragingly. "War is truly a horrible experience, my boy, I wish it never existed. But human nature pushes for one to occur in every generation." He felt a few drops of tears stain his kimono. He smiled sadly. "However, you still have family left."_

 _Naruto perked up with teary eyes. He gazed into the old man's eyes as he smiled in return._

" _Your grandfather, Tsukasa, had a younger sister. She, alongside your Godfather became some of the strongest people in this world." Hiruzen smiled proudly at the thought of his precious students. "Have you ever heard of Senju Tsunade?"_

 _Naruto merely gazed at the old man with hopeful eyes that dulled the pain in his heart._

* * *

"So you've always known." Tsunade said as she gazed at the dark sky from the balcony. The boy beside her nodded sagely.

To think this boy had endured so much in his short life scared and humbled her. She felt truly horrible for having abandoned her family after her niece's death.

"Jiji never hid much from me after the incident." Naruto met her gaze with his own. "I don't really blame you for what you did – you were suffering from losing nearly every one of your loved ones." He smiled sombrely as he shifted his gaze again.

"I don't know how that feels but I do know how it feels to be alone."

Tsunade felt truly saddened by that statement. She knew she should have been there, raised him like his mother should have, but she had run off into the world along with her demons.

Tsunade enveloped Naruto in a hug that spelled out all she couldn't say with words. He returned the hug by making her remember the words her friend had told her when he'd run into her years ago.

"Tsunade, you're not alone."

* * *

The next morning, just before noon, Haku was strolling through the streets of Tanzaku Gai accompanying Tsunade's apprentice, Shizune.

The young woman intended to prepare a feast of sorts in celebration. They were _finally_ going home.

Jiraiya had explained his reasons for locating Tsunade after so many years. Although her master wasn't as delighted, she was happy to comply due to having her family back again.

Shizune had been surprised when Naruto confessed to being the son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. She had known the odd couple during her childhood as she'd often seen them visit Tsunade. Kushina had treated her like a daughter while she had looked up to Minato.

Of course, every child at that age had looked up to the Yondaime Hokage.

As she pulled back from her thoughts, she glanced to her side and smiled amusedly as Haku tossed TonTon up before catching her and placing the poor pig on his head.

"Shizune-san, how is it travelling with Tsunade-sama?" The boy asked innocently. Shizune merely sighed which caused the boy to chuckle.

"It's troublesome, I suppose." She relented. The boy's chuckles only grew into laughter causing her to join in.

Honestly, as she thought about it, it really had been a troublesome affair. Despite the love her master had for her, although she'd never outright say it, she had failed to realise how this hurt her too. She had lost her last of her family when Dan died.

It truly made her happy that her master had found some family after so long, which inadvertently became her family too.

She glanced to her side and watched as the boy accompanying her tried to pull off the little pig that was now biting at his hair. She fell into a fit of giggles as the sign TonTon made became clear.

Even _she_ was part of the family.

* * *

Tsunade frowned.

In complete contrast, Jiraiya calmly sipped his sake as he let Tsunade understand the gravity of the information he had relayed to her.

"So, another war?" She responded hesitantly. She took the bottle of sake that was on the table and took a swig. "What the _fuck_ is he thinking!?"

Jiraiya silently watched his teammate become increasingly irritated and angry. Eventually, he placed down his saucer and stared straight into her eyes.

"He's too far gone, Tsunade." She scoffed irritably at that. "You do not know half of the things he has done over the years – Anko was just the beginning."

"Poor girl." Tsunade responded with a sigh. She'd heard from Jiraiya himself, years back, about the young girl.

Suffice to say, Orochimaru was _dead_ to her.

"I remember how during our years as Genin, he'd talk about immortality and learning all the Jutsu in the world." She scoffed again. "More like delusions of a mad ma-"

"He did it."

Tsunade froze.

" _What_?" Her face became pale when she stared at Jiraiya's grim expression. She brought up a hand to cover her mouth in revulsion.

"Someway, he has found a way to live longer." Jiraiya stated grimly. "He places curse marks on prospective _vessels_ , which imbue them with his tainted chakra that works like a drug or adrenaline shot to the victims. Eventually, it allows his influence on the bodies to grow, making it easier to _steal_ their bodies." His cold eyes showed so much disgust and fear at the thought of their former teammate's acts.

"That _bastard…_ " Tsunade muttered angrily. She gazed into his eyes again. "Is that why you need me? To find a cure?" She asked curiously.

"Yes and no." Jiraiya responded. "Sensei has _always_ wanted you to come back home. However, he fears that Orochimaru will try something during the coming Chūnin Exams – especially after he has coveted the Sharingan for so long."

"So he's after the Uchiha brat?" Tsunade asked irritably. She hadn't much love for the Uchiha clan but their massacre had shocked her in many ways.

"For now, and I intend to keep it that way." Jiraiya's determination impressed her but surprised her as well.

"What do you mean?" Tsunade felt something was amiss with how Jiraiya acted so she followed his gaze and it landed on her grandnephew.

Suddenly, a cold feeling of dread entered her system.

" _I hope he doesn't inherit our red eyes." Kushina said as she rubbed her baby bump. Tsunade smirked._

She felt as though she had lost her ability to breathe.

" _I'm sure they'll be those beautiful baby blues that Minato and Tsukasa have." She chuckled but paused at her niece's confused and curious stare._

Her whole world crashed as fear clutched her, embraced her and pulled her to the deepest parts of its abyss.

" _Yeah, I guess so." Kushina responded hesitantly._

"Because Naruto has the Sharingan."

* * *

It had been a few days of travelling sedately – or in Tsunade's words _"enjoying my last days of freedom" –_ that they finally arrived to Konoha.

Tsunade stopped and faced the gigantic gates of her Village. It had been over a decade since she'd seen the pristine walls and magnificent setting of Konohagakure no Sato. It was breathtaking.

She felt a hand being placed on her shoulder and she glanced at down the owner. Naruto was smiling – the same infectious smile his father had. So she returned it and stepped forward, into the Village.

As they walked down the street, people glanced at her before muttering amongst themselves. Some of the brave, older generation bowed to her.

However, the whispers still followed her as she overheard them.

"Is that Tsunade-sama of the Sannin?"

"It's been _years_ since I've seen her."

"Yeah, she must have been on a mission."

"Is that Jiraiya-sama too?"

These were, however, normal to her wherever she went. But the last few, muttered almost too conspiratorially fanned her anger.

"That brat shouldn't be walking close to someone like Tsunade-sama."

"He brought some of _them_ to the Village a while back."

"That damned demon brat."

"Hush! We're not supposed to say that!"

But it was too late.

The ground shook underneath those civilians, however, what brought them to their knees was a weight so heavy, they felt as though they were ants being stepped on by giants.

"I _dare_ you to repeat those words." Tsunade gritted out in fury. "Speak or _die_!"

"Tsunade-sama."

She paused as she turned towards the voice, finding the calm Kimimaro staring directly into her eyes. She understood what he meant when she glanced around only to find Naruto walking ahead of their group, quietly.

" _It's not worth it."_ Kimimaro said before carrying on to walk beside Naruto.

As she glanced around, Haku was pulling at Jiraiya who was trying to peak at some unsuspecting waitress through the restaurant's glass panels.

Shizune was standing off to the side, waiting for her master with a saddened smile.

She then understood the boy's wishes.

He simply did not care.

* * *

Tsunade and the others shook their heads when Jiraiya tried leaping in through the window, only to find it closed, courtesy of the Hokage.

Hiruzen sweat dropped when Jiraiya started making sad faces through the glass from the window pane before leaping down to go enter through the manual way.

The trio of Genin stepped forward and knelt before their Hokage, with Naruto at the lead.

"Mission accomplished, Hokage-sama." Naruto stated calmly. "We have retrieved one Senju Tsunade-hime, and one Katō Shizune."

Hiruzen nodded and signalled for the team to stand. "Good work, Team Eleven." He said as he stood to the side of the table.

"Hai." The trio responded.

Tsunade was impressed. This team acted as though they were a squad of ANBU – highly trained professional killers.

Hiruzen went to open his window, before sighing and stepping to the side to allow a red bullet to fly through.

"Yosh!" Jiraiya shouted triumphantly. He wilted like a flower after being bonked on the head.

"Be quiet, you!" Tsunade muttered irritably. She then turned to face Hiruzen, who was watching them with an amused smile. She walked up to the Hokage and fell to her knees. "I apologise."

Silence. Complete silence invaded the room as the occupants watched the prideful woman beg for forgiveness.

Tsunade felt a hand pat her hair ever so gently, just like it used to during her youth. At this point, she wondered why the gods that had been so cruel to her allowed the people she had been cruel to, to be so gentle and welcoming to her.

She cried.

She shed tears for all she had lost, all the pain she had experienced and the more pain she knew she would experience.

"Welcome home, little hime."

This time, she would push through the pain with her family.

* * *

Meisagakure **no Jutsu – Camouflage Technique** : A-rank, Supplementary; The user controls the reflection of light around their body using chakra, causing their form, shadow, and even breathing to become invisible to the unaided eye. Because they perfectly blend in with their surroundings, the user can sneak up behind an enemy without being noticed. Only dōjutsu like the **Sharingan** or **Byakugan** can see through it.


	10. Thrums I

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Kono Yo no Kyūseishu

Book IV: Thrums

"There isn't any shame in being weak, girl. The shame is in staying weak." – Fuegoleon Vermillion

* * *

Yamanaka Ino felt exhaustion unlike any other day of her entire life.

Raising a hand to hide her face from the light of the glaring sun, she dragged her feet in the streets leading back to the village centre.

Early – in comparison to other days – that morning, Asuma had called in a team meeting. He'd gone to their houses and left the message to their families.

When Ino arrived, she found her sensei standing there. Shocked at seeing him there earlier than usual, they waited for the others to arrive.

Chōji had jogged into the training field excitedly while Shikamaru had dragged into the field at the pace of an enthusiastic sloth.

She swore she'd heard her sensei sigh.

"Well, Team, today I have an exercise planned and an announcement to me – depending on the results of your exercise of course."

Of course as they say curiosity killed the cat; there is none more curious than the cat called Ino-Shika-Chō.

They'd gone through a survival exercise where they had to snatch a set of bells tied to Asuma's vest. With a great effort, her team had managed to get one – ONE – bell from their sensei.

And he had the audacity to call it a test.

Nonetheless, he'd been very proud of them, claiming that Team 7 had done a similar exercise at the beginning and had failed to even touch the bells.

That had been a serious ego booster for her. (TAKE THAT, FOREHEAD!)

After that tidbit had been over, he'd procured official documents and handed them over to them, announcing that he was nominating them for the Chūnin Exams.

She had been surprised when he announced that, mainly because she had heard of the tales her mother had retold about hers and her father's youth.

Her mother had claimed them to be one of her toughest experiences during her years as a kunoichi, and her father had claimed a similar experience. However, they had also told her how it was a vital stage for their advancement in the Shinobi ranks.

Ino nodded to herself. It is an important stage not only for herself but her team as well.

As she turned down the street, she found a peculiar scene awaiting her.

A scene where Uzumaki Naruto was standing in front of two kids a few years older than him, and a small child hugging onto his leg.

* * *

"Hey kid, didn't you hear what I said?" A shout came from the boy dressed in a puppeteer's costume. "Are you listening to me, gaki?"

Seemingly being ignored, Naruto knelt down to the boy holding onto him with a scowl on his face.

"Maa, Maru-chan, no need to get worked up over this." Naruto said while petting the boy's head. The boy looked up, turning his lip into a pout and staring up at Naruto.

"The clown started it, Onii-chan." He folded his arms in childish anger then turned to glare at the older boy.

"What are you looking at, you brat?" The older boy shouted in anger, taking a step forward.

"Easy, there." Naruto stated calmly with his hand raised placatingly. "You wouldn't want to shame your village and start a war with Konoha by attacking the Sandaime Hokage's grandson."

"What?" The older boy spluttered indignantly. Then, his scowled in anger. "I don't care, this brat bumped into me and started insulting me."

"Be quiet."

The older boy froze at Naruto's stare - cold unflinching blues trapped his pair of brown eyes.

"Stop being an idiot, Kankurō." The blonde girl at the back called out. "Are you really going to throw a fit over some kids?"

Naruto noticed the beautiful girl frowning at the boy. Said boy went to reach for the wrapped object on his back.

"Back of Temari! I'm going to tea-" Kankurō froze again mid-sentence when a cold metal nipped at his neck.

"Be quiet or you die." Naruto whispered into his ear. "Try anything and I will not hesitate to cut you down, _Genin_."

A miniature sand storm twirled and whipped before a figure walked out of it. Naruto's gaze met the boy's and blank turquoise eyes stared back.

"Kankurō." Said boy flinched in fear – _terror –_ when the short boy spoke. "You're an embarrassment to our village and our family."

Naruto shifted and watched as the boy turned about to face the kms admonishing him.

"G-Gaara! I-I can e-explain-" Kankurō shut his mouth when Gaara stared back at him as he spoke.

"Shut up or I'll kill you."

Naruto bristled at those words. He watched as Kankurō nodded fearfully and moved around to the blonde girl – said girl seemed to have been looking on in fear as well.

"I apologize for my foolish brother's actions." Gaara stated impassively. A strange glint entered his eyes before he spoke again. "Are you going to participate in the Chūnin Exams?"

Naruto spun his kunai before placing it in his pouch. From his leg, he could feel Konohamaru watching fearfully – even _he_ was uneasy.

"Yes, I will be." Naruto finally responded.

Another glint passed through the boy's eyes – excitement.

"My name is Sabaku no Gaara. What is yours?" The redhead announced almost demandingly.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto replied, petting the little boy by his side in an effort to calm him.

Gaara turned to walk towards his brother and other teammate. He looked over his shoulder and stared into Naruto's eyes – his own portraying a somewhat manic desire.

" _Mother_ craves your blood."

The boy turned and walked away with his two teammates following behind.

As he turned by the corner, he eyed the pigeon seated on the wall.

* * *

Ino jolted awake, he forehead sweaty and a few civilians eyeing her strangely. She shivered from the breeze that suddenly hit her. She hoped it was the breeze.

Not the terror that gaze had caused the loss of control in her jutsu.

Her father always explained to her the inner mechanics of the **_Shintenshin no Jutsu._** The technique was as delicate as they come, focusing on _Yin_ chakra – spiritual energy – to transfer one's mind.

The stronger one's spirit one, the stronger the effect of the technique. However, a spiritual imbalance can cause the technique to be disrupted and fall apart.

Sabaku no Gaara caused such a disruption. He had marked her and that terrified her.

Ino tried standing up, most of her body feeling strange – a side effect of the **_Shintenshin_** – and almost stumbled to her knees.

Or she would have, had an arm not slipped around and held her by her waist.

"You really should be more careful, Yamanaka." A masculine voice said to her side.

Heat ran to her cheeks and she almost leapt away but kept her balance as she whipped around to stare at Naruto walking hand-in-hand with a young boy.

"Yo!" The kid – Konohamaru, she recalled – said in greeting. "Uh, Onii-chan, is she okay?" Konohamaru asked curiously.

Ino saw Naruto's concerned gaze and immediately started fixing herself. At the back of her mind, she wondered when he'd begun being concerned for people.

"I'm okay." Ino remarked. Doubtful looks were sent her way. "I'm okay, I swear."

Naruto nodded while the kid just shrugged and started looking around.

"What are you doing here anyway, Yamanaka?" Naruto asked curiously. The girl seemed slightly less dishevelled than the last he had seen her.

"I just came from a team meeting and I was on my way home before I stumbled into you." Ino breezed through her excuse. "Who's the kid?"

Perhaps for the first time in her life, Ino was seeing someone _walking_ and _talking_ to Naruto in public. It might be a child, but it still surprised her – the kid even called him 'big brother' endearingly.

A flick to the head caused the distracted child to turn back indignantly.

"Hey!" He shouted with a hand holding where he had been flicked.

"This here is Konohamaru. He's Asuma's nephew." Naruto introduced the boy.

"And future Hokage!" The kid pumped a fist into the air excitedly, causing an upturn to Naruto's lips.

"Yeah, whatever squirt." Naruto petted the boy's head again.

Ino's eyes widened in surprise. Just how deep did Naruto's relation with Asuma really go? Granted the boy was only his nephew, it did raise questions on whether Naruto was familiar with the rest of the Sarutobi clan, and the leader of said clan.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, was after all a legendary man.

"Maru-chan, this is Yamanaka Ino. One of Asuma's students." Naruto introduced her to the boy.

"You're really Asuma-ojisan's student!?" Said boy practically had stars in his eyes as he looked up to her. "Sugoi! What kind of jutsu can you use? You're almost as pretty as that lady ji-san always hangs around. Are your eyes blu-"

Ino blurted out a laughter she never expected to come after her most recent experience. This kid, no matter what he may have done to the Suna shinobi, was as innocent as they come.

"Okay, that's about enough, Konohamaru-chan." Naruto calmed the boy, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Maybe next time you should ask her out on a date and ask her as many questions as you want, no?"

Ino laughed harder when the child spluttered indignantly then started trying to hit Naruto wherever and whichever way he could, but being blocked every single time.

"Maa, that's enough excitement for now, Maru-chan. Jiji is waiting for us." Naruto informed the boy causing him to freeze for a moment before nodding back to him.

"Kuso! Bye Ino-san!" Konohamaru shouted out before starting to drag Naruto.

As he passed by her side, she heard him whisper a few words that would found a trust between them.

Later that night, the happenings of the day would come back to her. Of how a once unmovable wall had left the gate open, leading her into the wonderful and lush greenery it protected from the poisonous world.

All for her sake.

 _"I will protect you."_

She'd never known fear to wear such an endearing smile.

* * *

Hiruzen watched on as the room filled with several Jōnin, some amongst them being his most powerful, and others being the most trusted.

He eyed each and every one of them, assessing them and every one of their movements. Although, he had no need to, he still enjoyed keeping his wit about him.

As the last to walk in closed the door behind him, he stood and all his Shinobi fell to their knees.

"Hokage-sama." They chorused.

"Rise." Hiruzen commanded and within a moment, they were up again. "I believe you know why I have summoned you all here today."

He flicked his wrist and his two attendants – Anko and Ibiki – distributed documents amongst the Jōnin. Brown coloured files were given to every Jōnin.

"Now, the Chūnin Exams shall be a three-part exam with Morino Ibiki and Mitarashi Anko proctoring the first and second exams respectively." Hiruzen paused and the Jōnin nodded in agreement. Some shifted in doubt but none spoke. "The third exam's initial proctor, Gekkō Hayate, is undergoing medical care. Therefore, Shiranui Genma will be the third proctor."

Murmurs spread in the room, mostly being sounds of agreement, and others of acceptance. A few seemed to worry about the first two proctors, though.

"Now, it is time for team nominations." Hiruzen started again. "We will begin with the rookies."

Murmurs began yet again while the Jōnin sensei of the rookies stepped forward. While it was uncommon, Genin fresh off the Academy did get nominated but it was rare for most to make it past the first and second stages.

Hiruzen watched as three of his finest Jōnin stepped forward. This year's group consisted of mainly clan heirs with a few civilians to balance things out as well. Most Genin who had failed the test had been sent back to the Academy, while those with talent had been placed in the reserves.

A storm was brewing, Hiruzen mused. He needed the finest Shinobi he could get.

"I, Hatake Kakashi, nominate Team Seven consisting of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Sai." Kakashi announced suddenly.

Murmurs of the "Last Uchiha" began to invade the meeting hall. A certified prodigy, at least according to the teachers, and the lone survivor of a clan massacre, as well as the only one able to revive said clan.

It amused Hiruzen, somewhat, that they had so much faith on the arrogant child who believed that he deserved everything under the sun handed to him on a silver platter. Although, his opinion was biased.

"I, Yuhi Kurenai, nominate Team Eight consisting of Aburame Shino, Hyūga Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba." Kurenai stated after she'd stepped forward.

Hiruzen nodded in agreement. The team of trackers had a commendable mission record just over the past six months.

"I, Sarutobi Asuma, nominate Team Ten consisting of Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chōji." Asuma announced over the murmurs that had broken out after Kurenai's announcement.

Gasps of surprise could be heard in the room however, Hiruzen didn't fault them. This _was_ the first time in their history that clan heirs _and_ rookies had participated in the Chūnin Exams within six months of being Genin.

"Hokage-sama, is this advisable?" A Jōnin with a visible scar asked curiously.

"Are you implying that we are wrong in our decisions?" Kurenai frowned slightly. "Do you believe us to be incompetent?"

The Jōnin spluttered in surprise and embarrassment when the dark haired Jōnin questioned him.

"N-no! That's not what I-" He was cut off as he was speaking.

"Enough." The Hokage commanded with a raised hand. "Raido-kun, I agree that it is unprecedented. However, I personally am aware of how capable these Genin are."

The scarred Jōnin bowed his head in embarrassment while a few muffled chuckles came from behind him.

"Apologies, Hokage-sama." Hiruzen merely waved him off. "Yuhi-san?" Raido looked on with a hopeful expression. He twitched when Asuma coughed into his hand to hide a chuckle.

"It's fine, Namiashi-san." Kurenai responded with a sigh.

"Now, that is settled." Hiruzen smiled. "Let us continue."

* * *

It was a full moon again.

The fluorescent moonlight struck the open field, the light peeking through the foliage some small distance away.

Seated in the middle of the open field, Kimimaro gazed at the moon with an expression of euphoria.

As a child, he had never understood why the moon loved him, and he it. It's light always embraced him, encompassed him with a love he never understood and a need to reunite with him like a lover who had passed on, leaving the other in their despair.

His father once explained it to him.

* * *

 _A young boy sat on a hill with his legs pulled to his chest. He sat still, gazing at the moon and bathing in its light._

 _"Tou-san?" He turned to the man standing next to him, gazing at the moon with a serene smile. He smiled as well. "Why does the moon love us?"_

 _The strange looking man turned to the boy, his horns shining in the light. He crouched next to the boy and petted the boy's head._

 _"Well, it's a long story." He smiled again. "It begins as a tale of two brothers."_

 _"Brothers?" The boy asked curiously._

 _"You might not understand it now, but some day you will." The father sat down next to the boy. "Long ago, there once were two brothers – twins – who were born merely seconds apart."_

 _The boy was enraptured by the tale._

 _"They grew up together, played together, are together and fought together. It is said at some point in their lives, they fought against a great beast that meant to ruin the world. However, they defeated it with their combined strength, and the older brother managed to split the beast so that it would harm the world no more."_

 _The boy's eyes widened again._

 _"Years passed and the brothers decided to go their separate ways to live their own lives. The older brother headed to the east, his eyes set on following the brightest star. His younger brother, however, ascended to the moon and built a home for himself and all his descendants. The older brother went on to spread his teachings to the world, while the younger brother protected the world from the moon."_

 _The father turned to his son and chuckled at his expression. He didn't blame the boy, this truly was a fantastical story._

 _"On his death bed, surrounded by the beasts he had split from the original and generations of his own descendants, the older brother awaited the arrival of his younger brother; he never came. Even though it pained him, the older brother relished the light that came from the moon for it entailed a eternal promise from his younger brother."_

 _The boy was quiet for a moment, expecting his father to carry on. The man merely smiled at him and whispered._

 _"That is for you to figure out, Kimimaro-kun."_

* * *

Kimimaro smiled at the memory.

His father had always been cryptic, as though he feared that telling too much would spell the end of the world.

He could see that. He had always been able to _see_ it.

Although he couldn't tell what his father meant by telling him that story, he felt he would find out in time.

"I understand."

The moon seemed to shine a little brighter with this realisation.

* * *

Sai smiled openly as he walked down into the academy.

As he walked behind his teammates, many thoughts ran through his mind. However, the greatest thought was prevalent in his mind.

Today, he was taking his first steps to attaining his dreams.

His father, however logical and strict he may be, allowed him to follow his dreams. It was why he was allowed to leave _that_ organisation.

That place was void of dreams.

As an artist, Sai dreamt of learning more, doing more, _feeling_ more. It was why he loved acting. It was why he put a smile on his face, even though it was void. It was why he hid his strengths so as not to usurp someone who felt it their right to be above.

Yes, today would be the day that leads to his separation from Uchiha Sasuke.

Although he imagined all this happening, he remembered that he had many a obstacle to cross until his wishes came true.

The classroom filled with intent reminded him of that fact.

* * *

Shikamaru was not having a good day.

Granted, he had accepted this because he believed in himself and his teammates, but it really was a drag.

If he hadn't come, he knew that his mother would have chewed at him, his father would have sighed exasperatedly, and Ino would have killed him.

Perhaps Chōji would have sympathised with him; he was his best friend after all.

Shikamaru leaned against the wall and watched as many Genin from various villages walked into the examination room.

Many of the Genin here seemed far older than him and he couldn't help but curse Asuma for training them well enough to steal bells from him. Although, he wasn't foolish enough to believe that they bested a Jōnin.

The door whipped open and Shikamaru groaned, but he soon nudged Chōji in the ribs when the boy chuckled.

Uchiha Sasuke walked into the room, and Shikamaru half-expected Ino to fly at him.

But Ino stayed entranced by whatever or whoever she was looking at.

"Who are those two guys with Naruto?" Chōji asked suddenly.

Shikamaru's eyes scanned the room until they landed on Naruto, who was conversing with a tall white haired boy and another masked figure.

"I don't know…" Ino whispered quietly.

 _Damn it, now I'm curious._ Shikamaru thought to himself.

* * *

"I wonder what kind of exam it'll be." Haku mused aloud.

They had arrived here over thirty minutes ago and the starting time would be arriving soon. So far, they had been sizing up the competition and had found a few notable ones.

"Most probably, it'll be a written test for the first exam." Kimimaro confirmed. "Sensei said that's how it has been for a number of decades now."

Naruto hummed in agreement as he carried on looking out for any tough competitors.

So far it was Sabaku no Gaara and his female teammate, a blonde haired girl from Kumogakure, a brown haired girl from Tsuchigakure and a Hyūga boy.

All four were eyeing him strangely.

"Oh, the Uchiha brat is here too." Haku announces suddenly.

"He's of no consequence." Kimimaro objected sharply. " _That_ one worries me." He then pointed to a silver haired bespectacled boy who was speaking to Haruno.

Naruto and Haku nodded as well. Something felt strange about that boy.

Said boy seemed to be conversing with his former classmates until he was suddenly attacked and dropped to the floor.

Naruto raised eyebrow at that. The boy had dodged but somehow his spectacles shattered and he was on the floor retching.

"What a strange attack." Kimimaro mused. "Before he fell, I felt my bones rattle for a moment."

That truly was strange. If that was the case, then it might have been a _Dōton_ or _Fūton_ attack; but he would have sensed the chakra.

"It's the gauntlet." Haku muttered. "It's a weird technique that is using sound waves emitted by the gauntlet."

Naruto nodded. It was pretty efficient.

"Threat?" He asked.

"No." Kimimaro finalised their thoughts on the matter.

Suddenly, smoke exploded by the podium and several Chūnin and the proctor appeared.

"You maggots better have not started fighting yet." The cloaked man grinned terrifyingly. "Because if you have, you're on my shit list."

A sudden pressure descended the room and everyone was frozen still.

"Now, I am Morino Ibiki." The man grinned viciously.

Naruto twitched slightly.

"I'm the proctor for the first exam."

* * *

Forty minutes passed since the beginning of the exam and several dozen Genin had been disqualified. Some who had resisted had been forcefully dragged out of the examination hall.

It was somewhat comical how one Konoha Genin had clutched onto the doors while being dragged out.

Ibiki sighed; Kotetsu was putting on a show again.

As the last five minutes approached, Ibiki scanned the room, watching as most Genin tried their best to cheat without being caught.

A girl with brown hair tied up in buns had attached ninja wire to the windows, then proceeded to use them as mirrors for her teammate and herself to copy off the others.

A puppeteer from Suna had swapped himself with one of his puppet lookalikes after he'd gone to the bathroom.

The two Hyūga Genin used their _Byakugan_ to see through the other examinees and focus on their tests.

The Uchiha at the back copied off one of the plants using his _Sharingan_ to copy his handwriting.

The Suna redhead had an eyeball floating above all the students?

Ibiki smirked. That was a truly unique ability.

At the back, he watched as Inoichi's daughter raised her head from the table then continue to write.

He was impressed by her; the girl already had commendable skill with the **_Shintenshin no Jutsu_ **.

His trained eyes caught an unusual glint on the ceiling. Was that a _mirror_?

Truly unique abilities in this year's batch.

As he leaned onto the desk, his gaze landed on the one Genin he didn't know how to read.

Uzumaki Naruto.

And the boy was staring right back with unflinching eyes.

He had to hand it to the boy; no one save for several people in the village, including the Hokage, could stare at him with no sign of discomfort.

Of course, he _knew_ why.

"Alright maggots!" Ibiki suddenly announced causing most examinees to jump in surprise. "Your forty-five minutes are up. Now, it's time for the tenth question!"

There were cries of outrage that made Ibiki's already menacing aura skyrocket.

Of course the exam was difficult, that was the whole intention. He expected only a few of them to have completed the questions in time. That is, if they figured out _how_ to answer them.

"Silence!" A pressure fell on the examinees yet again and silence prevailed. "Good. I will now explain the rules of the tenth question."

He watched as most Genin paled in fear or terror or both. He knew he was being harsh on them but it was necessary.

"Now; first of all, you can choose if you want to answer this question or not." Ibiki started gruffly. "However, if you choose not to, you will be failed and escorted out of these premises."

Ibiki enjoyed the looks of surprise and indignation.

"What!? Then we'll just choose to answer the question!" A red haired girl from Kumogakure shouted out.

Ibiki chuckled ominously causing the girl to stutter and take a seat immediately.

"Yes, if you do choose to answer it and your answer is incorrect, you will not only be failed…" He paused momentarily. "But you will never be allowed to take the Chūnin Exams and you _will_ stay Genin for the rest of your career."

Sounds of shock and surprise broke out as sudden as a tremor, causing examinees to cry out in protest.

"But there are people here who've failed the Exams more than once!" An Inuzuka boy shouted out in anger. "How the fuck are those rules fair!?"

Cries of protest carried on becoming louder and louder by the moment.

"Well then, it's unfortunate that you have me as your examiner this year, no?" Ibiki started suddenly.

All the chattering and protesting died down with immediate effect.

"So, would you rather try your luck now or hope for better the next time?" Ibiki asked gruffly. "The choice is yours."

Several moments passed, a heavy tension encompassing the room and the examinees. Many seemed hesitant, doubtful, fearful or downright terrified.

A few, however, took this information easily and stayed themselves, watching on quietly.

Uzumaki had a _smirk_ on his lips.

Suddenly, one of the examinees stood up, his face red with embarrassment and sweat dripping down it.

"I'm sorry guys!" The boy announced to his teammates. "Proctor, I quit." The boy stated with a shaking hand raised in the air.

Ibiki nodded and one of his assistants led the boy and his teammates out of the room.

Ibiki almost laughed too. Kotetsu and Izumo had played their roles _perfectly._

So, like the domino effect, many hands rose, outbreaks of insults and fights increased and tension increased as several dozen Genin were shown the exit.

Soon enough, only fifty-four examinees remained.

"Are you certain of your decision?" Ibiki asked curiously.

Some still seemed hesitant, while others merely watched in silence. He could see the red haired girl from before was sweating from anxiety, the Nara boy was awake and alert and Uzumaki was still _smirking._

"If no one else is going to leave, then you all pass."

The room was quiet, a few tweaking birds could be heard from the trees outside. This was why he loved his job.

He could play around with people's minds and no one could say anything about it.

* * *

The window shattered open and a smoke bomb exploded near the podium.

When the smoke eventually blew away, the first thing they saw was a banner stuck over the board.

 _The Sexy and Excruciatingly Single Anko-sama!_

"Alright brats!" A voice shouted from the podium. "My name is Mitarashi Anko and you're all going to be dinner for my babies!"

Many males blushed while the women looked on with envy and some with disgust – admiration too, perhaps.

The purple haired lady was dressed in a very revealing outfit which consisted of _short_ orange shorts and fishnet covering the entire body. Over that, she wore a beige trench-coat and had a headband tied around her neck.

Yes, _very_ revealing attire.

She paused, for a moment, squinted her eyes and then started counting the number of examinees in the room.

"Fifty-three, fifty-four…ne, Ibiki-senpai, you're not getting soft on me are you?" Anko asked as she turned to her superior.

The man in question merely chuckled as he wrapped his bandana like headband over the scars that littered his face, leaving the ones he couldn't cover in the open.

"No, Anko. It seems we have an interesting batch this year." The man stated with a little pride in his tone.

"Oh yeah?" Then a terrifying grin spread on Anko's face. "Don't worry, I'll tear them in _half._ " She announced, a cackle following her words very soon.

The remaining examinees watched on either in arousal or fear – or both in some cases.

"Alright maggots, follow me as we head to the next venue!" Anko announced as she headed to the window. "If you're late, I'll set my snakes on you."

The room was completely evacuated within moments.

* * *

Ibiki walked around the room, collecting the papers of those he noted as impressive in the exam so far. As he reached where Naruto had been sitting, he read the paper and noticed a note at the bottom.

"Sir!" One of his Chūnin called out as he walked to him. "Take a look at this."

Ibiki noticed the name 'Nara Shikamaru' at the top and immediately recognised him as his superior's son. He read through the paper, noting he had answered everything correctly, then he turned the page.

Well, this _is_ a surprise.

He then went back to Naruto's note before stacking the papers on top of the others.

"I have to meet with the Hokage." Ibiki told his Chūnin. "You'll handle things here?"

"Hai, Ibiki-senpai." The chūnin nodded then went around to start collecting the remaining papers.

As Ibiki walked down the hall, he wondered to himself.

 _Why would two Genin be this worried about another examinee?_

* * *

 **Shinntenshin no Jutsu - Mind Body Switch Technique:**

C-rank, Supplementary; Originally, this ninjutsu was suited for intelligence-gathering missions rather than battle. With it, a ninja sends his mind as spiritual energy into a target's body, supplanting the target's mind with their own. The user transfers their consciousness to the target, giving them complete control of the body for a short period of time. While in control of the body, the user is able to communicate with the target. Since the user is in another body, they are also able to use that body's chakra. It is also possible for the user to switch bodies with the target. This has great strategic value when used on a teammate as neither body is left incapacitated and they may also make use of the user's abilities as well as their own while doing this. To remain inconspicuous when spying, the user can perform this technique on an animal, such as a hawk, which they can use to do aerial reconnaissance. It is generally used on immobilised targets.


End file.
